Dolphins hoping Tua Tagovailoa's return will help spark offense against the Cardinals

Updated Oct. 25, 2024 7:15 p.m. ET

Associated Press

Arizona (3-4) at Miami (2-4)

Sunday, 1 p.m., EDT, Fox

BetMGM NFL odds: Dolphins by 3 1/2.

Against the spread: Dolphins 1-5; Cardinals 4-3.

Series record: Dolphins lead 10-3.

Last meeting: Dolphins beat Cardinals 34-31 on Nov. 8, 2020, at Arizona.

Last week: Cardinals beat Chargers 17-15; Dolphins lost to Colts 16-10.

Cardinals offense: overall (15), rush (5), pass (25), scoring (19).

Cardinals defense: overall (27t), rush (26), pass (26), scoring (24).

Dolphins offense: overall (22), rush (11), pass (27), scoring (32).

Dolphins defense: overall (4), rush (17), pass (1), scoring (14).

Turnover differential: Cardinals plus-1; Dolphins minus-3.

Cardinals player to watch

RB James Conner had one of the best games of his career in last week’s win over the Chargers, running for 101 yards and catching two passes for 51 yards. The 29-year-old is a bruising presence in the backfield and one of the team’s captains. When he has a good game, the Cardinals usually win.

Dolphins player to watch

Tua Tagovailoa is expected to start for the first time since Week 2, when he was concussed in the third quarter and later placed on injured reserve. Tagovailoa, who led the NFL in yards passing in 2023, leads Miami's quarterbacks with 483 yards this season despite missing four games. He has completed 64.5% of his passes with two touchdowns and three interceptions. The Dolphins are hoping his return will help spark their offense, which is averaging a league-worst 11.7 points per game.

Key matchup

RB James Conner vs. Dolphins run defense. Kyler Murray called Conner a “safety valve” after Sunday's performance. Conner is sixth in the NFL with 504 rushing yards and has helped Arizona rush for more than 150 yards as a team in three of its past five games. The weakest part of the Dolphins' defense is the inability to stop the run — allowing 130.7 rushing yards per game. The Dolphins are winless (0-5) vs top-10 rushing offenses since the start of last season.

Key injuries

Dolphins: Tyreek Hill is dealing with a foot injury and was listed as questionable. McDaniel said he is optimistic about Hill's availability, but the receiver missed practice on Friday. ... DT Zach Sieler was poked in the eye Thursday at practice and is out. ... Starting CB Kader Kohou (neck) is out, and CB Storm Duck (ankle) is doubtful. ... Backup QB Tyler Huntley was placed on injured reserve Friday with a shoulder injury. S Jevon Holland will play after missing Week 7 with a hand injury. ... CB Cam Smith (hamstring) will make his season debut after being activated off IR on Monday.

Cardinals: LB Dennis Gardeck (knee) is out for the season after tearing his ACL. He's the fourth prominent Arizona defensive player who is out for the season, alongside LB BJ Ojulari (knee), DL Justin Jones (triceps) and DL Bilal Nichols (stinger). ... CB Sean Murphy-Bunting (neck) and DL Roy Lopez (ankle) missed Wednesday’s practice. ... Rookie DL Darius Robinson (calf) has missed the first seven games of the season but could make his debut on Sunday.

Series notes

The home team has won three of the past four games in the series. Each of those games was decided by four points or fewer. ... Tagovailoa completed 20 of 28 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns in Miami's win over Arizona in 2020. ... Miami’s .769 winning percentage against Arizona is the team’s second best against any opponent.

Stats and stuff

The Cardinals are trying to win back-to-back games for the first time since 2021. ... Arizona’s offensive line has allowed just 11 sacks, which is the fifth fewest in the NFL. ... Murray has led 12 game-winning drives over his six-year career, including in Monday’s 17-15 win over the Chargers. ... K Chad Ryland, filling in for the injured Matt Prater, has made two game-winning field goals over the past three games. ... Miami DT Calais Campbell played the first nine seasons of his career with the Cardinals after being drafted in the second round in 2008. ... Murray has run for touchdowns of 50 and 44 yards this season. He’s just the fourth QB since 1966 to run for two TDs of 40-plus yards in one season. ... Arizona is averaging 150.3 yards rushing per game this season, which ranks sixth in the league. ... Rookie WR Marvin Harrison Jr. has caught four TD passes this season. ... With a win, the Dolphins would get their seventh victory against an NFC opponent under coach Mike McDaniel. ... The Dolphins will induct former DT Tim Bowens as the 28th member of the team’s Ring of Honor at halftime. Bowens played his entire 11-year NFL career with Miami from 1994-2004. He had 407 tackles, 22 sacks, nine forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. The Dolphins rushed for 188 yards with 4.7 yards per carry on 40 attempts last Sunday against the Colts. Miami's 115 rushing yards in the first half was the team's second time this season with 100-plus rushing yards in a half. ... Miami’s 41 rushing attempts at New England and its 40 carries at Indianapolis were the second and third games with 40-plus rushing attempts under McDaniel. ... The Dolphins have the best pass defense in the NFL despite only three interceptions on the season.

Fantasy tip

Hill had a message for fantasy owners who may be disgruntled with his lack of production in recent weeks: “We’re back, baby. Start me this week, baby, let’s go.” McDaniel said this week that he has to find ways to get Hill more involved in the offense after the receiver was targeted just once against the Colts. That should be easier on Sunday with Tagovailoa's expected return, as Hill has been his top target since joining the Dolphins in 2022.

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