5 things you need to know about the Dolphins vs. Cardinals in Week 8

He's back. Four days before Halloween, hence this Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium, the Miami Dolphins welcome back their starting quarterback.

Mike McDaniel's team is off to a 2-4 start, a stark contrast from a year ago when the team bolted out of the gates at 5-1.

The Dolphins aren't in any position to look ahead, but it is worth noting that the team heads to Buffalo in Week 9 to face the AFC East leaders. First things first, and that's a clash with the 3-5 Arizona Cardinals, one of the more unpredictable teams in the league this season.

All-Time Series Record

The teams first met back in 1972 in the midst of the Dolphins' perfect season. A 31-10 Monday night win by Don Shula's team at the Orange Bowl (over the then-St. Louis Cardinals) was followed by Miami victories in each of the next seven meetings.

In 2004, the Cardinals came up with a 24-23 triumph in South Florida for their first win in the series. The 'Fins came up with a 34-31 triumph four years ago at Arizona in the latest edition of this interconference series. As for the clubs' last meeting in South Florida (2016), the Dolphins prevailed as well, 26-23.

Quarterbacks: Tale of the Tape

Injured late in 2022, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray missed the first nine games a season ago. He's been solid since returning to the field for the final eight games of 2023. Arizona is 6-9 since he returned to the field last season, but he has impressed. He has thrown at least one touchdown pass in all seven games this season, a total of nine TD passes, and served up at least one aerial score in 14 consecutive games.

It's the return of Dolphins signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa, who hasn't seen the field since the third quarter of the team's 31-10 Thursday night home loss to the Bills back in Week 2. This season, he has still thrown for a team-best 483 yards, has two of the three touchdown passes, and three of the four interceptions served up by Dolphins quarterbacks this year. However, Tagovailoa was struggling before he went down.

Defensive Analysis

There's not a lot to get excited about when it comes to this side of the ball. Only four teams in the league are giving up more yards per game than Jonathan Gannon's club. The defense has been equally vulnerable to the run (26th) and the pass (26th). The Cardinals have surrendered 18 offensive touchdowns, almost equally divided between the ground (8) and the air (10). Still, Arizona has come up with 10 takeaways.

First-time NFL defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver's unit has done its best to hold up its end of the bargain, while Miami's offense has been a season-long disaster. Only three clubs in the NFL have allowed fewer yards per game than the 'Fins, who also boast the top-ranked pass defense. There has been some vulnerability to the run—bad news when facing Murray, as well as Cardinals running back James Conner.

Keys to the Game

Cardinals: Gannon's team has been erratic at best. The Cardinals have a chance to reach the .500 mark with a win but are coming off a short week after beating the Los Angeles Chargers at the gun on Monday night. Avoiding mistakes here will be the key to pulling off the upset. Arizona has turned over the ball nine times in seven games. Six of those have come in their four losses, compared to three miscues in as many wins.

Dolphins: Miami's running game entered Week 8 ranked 11th in the NFL in rushing yards per game. It has been in high gear in its last two games. McDaniel's club ran for a season-best 193 yards in the Week 5 win at New England, and followed that up last Sunday with 188 yards on the ground in the loss to the Indianapolis Colts. The play-action game by Tagovailoa should be strong against an Arizona defense vulnerable to the run.

Dolphins Player to Watch

The eight-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro has virtually disappeared since Tagovailoa went down. After six games in 2023, wide receiver Tyreek Hill had already caught 42 passes for 814 yards and six touchdowns. It's been a much different story this season, playing with four different quarterbacks.

While Hill leads the team in catches and receiving yards, those numbers pale in comparison to last year's start. There have been 24 receptions for 294 yards and one score, albeit that one trip to the end zone was an 80-yard touchdown grab in the Week 1 come-from-behind victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Miami's offense has lacked a big-play element since Tagovailoa went down, and the Dolphins could recapture that feeling against Arizona's shoddy defense. The Cardinals have allowed 10 touchdown passes in seven contests.