Cardinals 28-27 Dolphins (Oct. 27, 2024) Game Recap

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Kyler Murray has never lost confidence. Even though the Arizona Cardinals were down two points in the fourth quarter, he knew he was capable of making the plays his team needed.

Murray put the Cardinals in position for a game-winning Chad Ryland field goal at the end of the second straight week, and Arizona spoiled Tua Tagovailoa's return from a concussion by beating the Miami Dolphins 28-27 on Sunday.

“I like us,” Murray said. “I want the ball in my hands. I want the ball in our hands. With the guys we have on offense, I think we can be one of the best offenses in the league as long as we stay on schedule and execute.”

Murray led two shots on goal in the fourth quarter to pull the Cardinals back from a nine-point deficit. The first ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by James Conner that put Arizona up 27-25. The second was a methodical 13-play, 71-yard march that finished with 5:01 left and ended with Ryland's 34-yard kick. A week earlier, Ryland was successful on the last play of the game from 32 yards and beat the Los Angeles Chargers 17:15.

The Cardinals (4-4) won consecutive games for the first time since October 24, 2021 and had a pair of 100-yard receivers for the first time since AJ Green and Christian Kirk on September 26, 2021. Rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. had 111 yards and a touchdown on six catches, and tight end Trey McBride led the Cardinals with nine catches for 124 yards.

“It feels great,” Harrison said. “It feels great.”

Tagovailoa threw for 234 yards and the Dolphins (2-5) posted their best offensive performance of the season in his first start since he was diagnosed with the third known concussion of his career on Sept. 12 against Buffalo. He was scheduled to return Monday after doctors deemed it safe to play. He approved the concussion protocol on Friday after an examination by an independent neurological consultant.

Tagovailoa was sharp for the most part, completing 28 of 38 passes. He lost a fumble on the first drive that Miami recovered, and in the third quarter a snap went over his head, resulting in a safety.

“I would say I felt like myself,” Tagovailoa said. “I prepared for five weeks as if I was going to play while I was on IR, so coming out there felt normal.”

Tagovailoa's first pass was a 16-yard completion to fullback Alec Ingold on Miami's opening drive, which ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Raheem Mostert. The veteran also had a 6-yard TD run in the fourth.

Miami fans gave a loud ovation when Tagovailoa was introduced and chanted his name after the first scoring drive. But the biggest applause came after Tagovailoa fought for a first down in the third and slipped to avoid being hit, something he didn't do on the play when he was injured in Week 2.

“I think the most important thing was that he knew his teammates were going to give him a chance to play a pretty clean game,” coach Mike McDaniel said. “He had a lot of clean pockets, and when they didn’t, he was decisive and kept himself out of harm’s way.”

Tyreek Hill caught six passes for 72 yards – his first game with at least 70 yards receiving since Week 1. De'Von Achane ran for 97 yards and had 50 yards receiving with a 12-yard touchdown catch.

“He came back and got the offense going. “It was beautiful to see,” Hill said. “We got some points today, so that’s positive.”

It was the Dolphins' highest-scoring game of the season; Their previous best was 20 points in Week 1.

Murray completed 26 of 36 passes for 307 yards, with a 6-yard touchdown to Michael Wilson and a 22-yard touchdown to Harrison. He had 19 yards rushing.

Murray demonstrated his volatility by avoiding Jalen Ramsey's blitz on Arizona's first scoring drive to extend the play and ultimately find Wilson open in the end zone. He hasn't been released since week 5.

“They couldn’t sack him,” Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said. “He extended plays a couple times, had a couple free runners, a couple (cover) zeros and got out of them. He’s hard to get back there.”

Harrison hit Ramsey and took a knee strike in the end zone to bring the Cardinals within 20-18 entering the fourth quarter. A 2-point conversion attempt failed.

The Dolphins led 13-7 at halftime, but their elite pass defense couldn't stop Murray and Harrison in the second half.

Harrison had catches of 16, 22 and 18 yards on Arizona's final two scoring drives.

“I try to be someone we can rely on to make plays,” Harrison said. “Anytime it’s a two-minute drill or we need a big play. I do my best to get open and catch the ball.”

Injuries

Cardinals: DL Naquan Jones left in the first quarter with a hand injury but returned in the third.

Dolphins: TE Julian Hill injured his shoulder fumbling in the first game but returned. … S Jevon Holland left in the second quarter with a knee injury and did not return.

Next

Cardinals: Host Chicago next Sunday.

Dolphins: Next Sunday in Buffalo.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL