The Arizona Cardinals are continuing on the upward trend following an emphatic 37-34 win against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 8. The victory gave them their third win in a row, resulting in a 5-2 record for the season. They trail only the Seahawks in the NFC West division, and the future is looking ever-bright for them as well.
After besting the Seahawks last week, many would assume that the contest against the Miami Dolphins in Week 9 should be completed with a walk-through effort. That may not be the case, however, given the Dolphins' latest efforts in Week 8. Miami, led by their new starting quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa, were able to outdo the Los Angeles Rams last week, which shows that this underrated squad may have more to them than what meets the eye.
While the Cardinals should look to possibly make short work of the Dolphins, it'd be best for them to remain quick on their feet against a squad that's proven their ability to crank up the intensity at any given moment. Aside from the stunning victory against the Rams, Miami is also riding a three-game winning streak into Sunday, meaning that one team will have to start anew when the final blows are dealt.
Here are some striking yet possible predictions as the Cardinals take field against the Dolphins in Week 9.
4. Murray gets saddled by the defense
Kyler Murray has definitely showed up this season. He's completed 66.8 percent of his passes this season for 1,847 yards, resulting in 13 touchdowns. His formative duo with DeAndre Hopkins is putting the Cardinals front office at bay given their ability to connect on a ridiculous amount of targets. Even so, the 23-year-old is likely heading for a subpar performance on Sunday.
Murray is facing a Dolphins defense that ranks fifth in allowing scores by passing efforts. He's also coming off one of his worst performances of the season against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6, a contest that saw him only complete 37.5 percent of his passes for 188 yards. While he was able to squeeze in two touchdowns with his horrible passing performance, that same luck may not transition well against the Dolphins if their defensive intensity continues in Week 9.
Murray will end the game throwing no touchdowns against a sturdy defense from the Dolphins.
3. Edmonds rattles off 75 yards and two touchdowns
If the Cardinals intend to make things interesting against the Dolphins, it'll have to start in the backfield. Kenyan Drake is leading the team in rushing, posting 512 rushing yards off of 119 attempts, resulting in four touchdowns. Unfortunately, his talents won't be of much use on Sunday, seeing as how he'll be sidelined with an ankle injury. Given that, Chase Edmonds will give it a shot at making a huge performance against the Dolphins.
He's third on the team in rushing yards behind both Drake and Murray with 176 yards on 29 carries. While he's only scored one touchdown this season, that total is bound to change after Sunday. The Cardinals will look to Edmonds more times than not if Murray isn't able to find much luck in his downfield options. The Dolphins haven't had much success in containing halfbacks this season and rank 21st in yards allowed by rushing attempts. More so, they rank 22nd in touchdowns allowed by rushes.
Even though it'll be a blind shot throwing Edmonds into the starting lineup, he'll finish the contest with at least 75 rushing yards along with two touchdowns.
2. Hopkins goes for 150-plus receiving yards
While Murray will have his hands full in terms of passing touchdowns, it doesn't negate the fact that he can still reign in some decent passing to his favorite connect downfield. Hopkins has been getting off on opposing defenses this season, raking in four performances in which he got over 100 receiving yards.
Even though the Dolphins are able to stop opposing offenses from reaching the end zone, they haven't had the same success in limiting offenses from making strides down the field. They rank 20th in yards gained due to passing attempts, which leaves a bit of area for Hopkins to insert himself into having a decent performance in that aspect. Like Murray, he also had a downward performance against the Cowboys, completing only 25 percent of his targets for 73 yards, but that type of performance isn't likely to carry on in the coming weeks.
With that, Hopkins will use the opportune moment against a lenient Dolphins to get over 150 receiving yards.
1. Cardinals-Dolphins will come down to a field goal
If the Dolphins come in with their expected defense, then this will be no easy contest for the Cardinals. Their passing game will be limited by the Dolphins' pass rushers and corners looking to limit Murray's game downfield. The Cardinals will have to heavily rely on rushes to advance downfield in order to even get in striking range of scoring.
There's a flip side to that coin though. The Dolphins are still tinkering with Tagovailoa as he attempts to become more comfortable in the offense. That milestone could take longer than normal to achieve. With that, the Dolphins could quickly find themselves limited on offense as well. Most of the points scored by both teams could come down to field goals. In fact, the final score may wind up being one.
With that, we're predicting that the Cardinals will win in a nail-biter that's decided by a field goal.
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