The Miami Dolphins' struggles without Tua Tagovailoa were blatantly evident and had many concerned for their future. The offense was bleak in his absence, creating many questions about the team's championship aspirations.

Some analysts went as far as suggesting that the Dolphins would be “crazy” not to have a “high-end backup” behind Tagovailoa, including NBC Sports' Mike Florio. Tagovailoa is returning to the field in Week 8 but has missed the last four games with a concussion.

“Only Tua can run the offense,” Florio wrote. “None of the backups were able to handle the timing-based, shell-game distribution of the ball behind the line of scrimmage… Tua's new contract carries a three-year commitment. The Dolphins need to have a high-end backup for the duration of that stretch. Really, for as long as Tua is the team’s starting quarterback, the Dolphins will be crazy not to have someone who can step in and go.”

Since being drafted in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Tagovailoa has missed significant time in four of his five years in the league. He suffered his third official football-based concussion against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2, causing many to believe he should retire to avoid further damage.

In his four absences, the Dolphins have turned to a variety of veteran backups, hoping to find a spark to no avail. Skylar Thompson was the original option but got hurt early on, leading to the team turning to practice squad signee Tyler ‘Snoop' Huntley. Miami was eventually forced down to their emergency option, journeyman Tim Boyle, after Huntley also went down.

Without Tagovailoa under center, the Dolphins failed to score more than one touchdown in any of the four games.

Dolphins look to get back on track in Week 8

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After a two-game road stretch, the Dolphins will return home in Week 8 and simultaneously get the return of Tagovailoa at quarterback. With a porous 2-4 record, Miami returns home to the Hard Rock Stadium to face the Arizona Cardinals.

Despite their poor record, the Dolphins are still in second place in the AFC East behind the Bills. The 2-5 New York Jets and 1-6 New England Patriots keep them afloat, meaning a strong end to the year would likely still result in a playoff appearance.

The Cardinals have struggled nearly as much as the Dolphins early on with a 3-4 record through seven games. While a lot of their losses were the result of a tough schedule, Arizona has also struggled on both sides of the ball on multiple occasions.

Should Miami successfully pick up the win in Week 8, they would look to ride their momentum into a marquee Week 9 rematch with the Bills.