Despite the fact that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa made his return for the Miami Dolphins against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday and played well, the team picked up its fifth loss in its last six games.
Miami’s defensive unit had one of its worst performances of the season to this point, as the Cardinals scored 28 points (26 of which were offensive) en route to their victory.
The Dolphins now have a subpar record at 2-5 on the season, but head coach Mike McDaniel indicated that the teams Miami will face moving forward won’t have any sympathy for its struggles.
Mike McDaniel on the Dolphins being 2-5: “No opponent that we play will give a shit.” pic.twitter.com/GlCx1EiGfh
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) October 27, 2024
If it weren’t for such a lackluster showing from Miami’s defensive unit in the second half, perhaps the Dolphins would have come away with their third win of the season on Sunday. After all, Arizona scored 21 points across the final two quarters after it mustered only seven in the first half.
Miami’s offensive unit, meanwhile, looked like a well-oiled machine for much of the game, reminiscent of a Dolphins offense that ranked near the top of the NFL in points per game last season. Tagovailoa was his usual productive self, but on top of that, Miami got some solid production from two of its wide receivers, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
The team’s top performer on the offensive side of the ball might have been second-year running back De’Von Achane, however. He totaled a team-high 97 rushing yards on 10 carries and also contributed from a receiving standpoint, as he accumulated 50 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.
Miami seemingly has a good measuring stick game coming up on its schedule. The Dolphins will take on the team with the best record in their division — the Buffalo Bills — on Nov. 3.
As of this writing, the Bills are on the verge of moving to 6-2 and blew out the Dolphins in the first matchup of the season between the two teams on Sept. 12, which also happened to be the game in which Tagovailoa suffered a concussion.
