The Dolphins were happy with the return of Tua Tagovailoa, who looked very good on Sunday at the Hard Rock Stadium, but the Cardinals, who were always two in the game, never gave up and with a field goal in the last second watered the party for Miami’s starting quarterback.
It was a very contested match where the Dolphins were always in front and got to 10 points ahead, in the end, they couldn’t keep the result, and the Arizona squad with a good run was imposed 28-27.
I’m disappointed. It’s frustrating to think we had something positive and it couldn’t be achieved. After situations like this you have to immediately put your energy into the next game, while you learn the lessons of failure in this game,” Miami coach Mike McDaniel said.
We’ve been doing everything we can in the workouts every week and it hasn’t been enough yet. You have to put the accelerator on and play harder. We have to fix things, get victory, and move on.
Also Read: Inter Miami Starts the MLS Playoffs with the Right Foot
It was indeed a tough defeat where the Dolphins got 384 yards on the offensive, three touchdowns, and two field goals, but this time the defense wasn’t up to the expected height and fell for the minimum at home.
Despite the defeat, the Dolphins (2-5) remained in second place in their division, after the setback of the New York Jets (2-6).
Tua had a remarkable performance after finishing with 234 yards by completing 28 of his 38 passes, with a touchdown and no interception. “Defeat diminished all the good I felt to get back to work,” Tagovailoa said.
Nobody can say I was great, that’s not good. You just have to keep practicing and have a different mentality. There are a lot of things we can continue to do and that’s exactly what I’d say the team felt.
By air, Tyreek Hill shone again with 72 yards, including a 30-year-old, De Von Achane with 50 and Jaylen Waddle with 45. With Tua, the air show returned, and the penalty was that another setback was piled up.
The ground attack also shone with 150 yards with a standout performance from Achane with 97 yards.
Raheen Mostert got 19, Jaylen Wright 18, and Tua himself dared with 13 to go with his feet as he should.
While Arizona quarterback Kyle Murray was a worthy rival, he got 306 yards, with 26 passes in 36 attempts, with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
With Tua on the court, the Dolphins’ first harp was successful, and with his passes in the first two plays they planted in the Cardinals’ 40th yard.
Soon after (10:15) the Miami team scored the first touchdown with a one-yard run from Mostert down the same center. Jason Sanders’ extra point gave Miami a 7-0 lead. The Tua effect was evident.
The defense stopped the Cardinals and the team again advanced enough for Sanders to score a great 53-sard field goal to extend the score 10-0 with 1:16 on the clock.
At the start of the second quarter (11:28), the Cardinals managed to discount 10-7 with a 6-sard Murray pass to Michael Wilson and Chad Ryland’s back-to-back score.
With 18 seconds to the end of the second quarter, Sanders scored another 25-yard field goal to extend the Dolphins’ lead 13-7 and thus go to the breakup, after a 7-3 partial.
Shortly after the start of the third (11:43), Arizona came back close with another high-field Ryland 57 yards to put the Dolphins’s 13-10 goal score.
But Miami reacted with a touchdown when Achane ran through the 12 yards that were missing to score and stretch the 20-10 difference again, after Sanders’s point.
The Cardinals added two points for a safety when Tagovailoa suffered a fumble in the end zone and the scoreboard went 20-12 in Miami’s favor.
The visiting team placed just two lengths (20-18) with a touchdown, thanks to a great Murray pass and a spectacular catch by Harrison, who completed 22 yards.
But Miami linebacker Jordyn Brooks thwarted the two-point conversion attempt with a big tackle on Arizona running back James Conner and thus finished the third quarter.
As soon as he started the last partial (12:22), Miami scored its third touchdown of the afternoon with a big 6-yard touchdown run by Mostert, to once again extend the 27-18 lead with Sanders’s extra point.
Arizona didn’t give up and with 6:47 to put two back in another TD when Conner drove two yards and Ryland didn’t miss the extra point. Miami was now ahead 27-25 but in danger.
The Dolphins did not pass the midfield and within two minutes of the end, Arizona managed to advance to the 33rd yard by provoking a sepulchral silence at Hard Rock.
And then he reached 20th with (1:02) and put the Dolphins against the wall. Failing a second for the end, Ryland did not miss the field goal to give the Cardinals a lead for the first time on the scoreboard and the final 28-27 win.
