How Cardinals Can Upset Dolphins

The Arizona Cardinals can absolutely upset the Miami Dolphins - here's how.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) high-fives teammate Michael Wilson (14) before their game against the Los Angeles Chargers at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Oct. 21, 2024. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Arizona Cardinals take a trip to South Beach to face a not great Miami Dolphins team. At 3-4, the Cardinals aim to get back to a .500 record and there's a great chance to do so with a team who has completely fallen flat on their faces this year.

With that being said, Tua Tagovailoa is back at QB for Miami and he instantly makes them a much deadlier team than what we've seen the last few weeks. Matched with elite weapons in Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and De'Von Achane, Miami is a ticking time bomb and they may finally explode against Arizona.

In order to avoid that outcome, I've laid out a careful game plan for the Cardinals to follow and I am sure that if the Cardinals follow this plan exactly as I have it down that they can leave Florida with a win.

Here's what they have to do:

Have Kyler Murray in the mindset of being a dual-threat

To Murray's credit, he's focused on becoming a good passer for most of his career and he;s displaying that once again this season. Could it be because he suffered a severe knee injury about two years ago? Maybe, but I personally doubt it. Rather, I think Murray prefers to beat teams through the air.

Well, that's likely not happening this week.

The Dolphins own the league's best pass defense by a sizable amount. The cornerback duo of Jalen Ramsey and Kendall Fuller has been deadly, and safety Jordan Poyer is still a steady veteran. There's also a chance that star safety Jevon Holland returns, which would only tip the scales further in Miami's favor.

To win this game, the Cardinals need to be aggressive with their rushing attack. Miami is in the middle of the pack in run defense, and Arizona has a more than capable group to run the ball with. I personally think Murray could be in for a season-low in passing yards, but I wouldn't be surprised if he had a season-high in rushing yards.

Obviously, take what the defense gives you... but my vote is to put an emphasis on taking off and beating the Fins' with your legs.

Put the keys to the offense in James Conner's hands

On the topic of that run game, Arizona would be wise to once again put their hopes into the reliable hands of Conner. Simply put, good things happen when you put the ball in Conner's hands.

Like we just said, Miami's run defense is average and Conner is seventh in the league in rushing yards with three 100-yard rushing performances. This is a great matchup for the Pro Bowler to exploit and he undoubtedly gives Arizona the best chance to win this game.

Don't try to reinvent the wheel here. Give Conner the ball and watch your chances of winning go up instead of down.

Get ready for Tua's return and a pissed off Tyreek Hill

Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same. And now it's here -- Tua is back from injury and he is set to run the league once again with Tyreek Hill.

Well, let's slow down on the "run the league" part until we see how Tua looks after missing a month of football with a concussion.

But even if Tua isn't 100% yet, Hill most certainly is and I can think of few players who are ready to put the league on notice than the future Hall of Famer. To say Hill has been bad without Tua would be a great understatement. With his best friend back under center, expect fireworks from a determined and hungry All-Pro receiver.

Like I said, Tua doesn't have to be at 100% because Hill will do the heavy lifting here. The last thing the Cardinals want to do in this game is overlook Tagovailoa because he's been out for so long. It only takes a couple of good passes for this offense to explode and Hill might be the deadliest player the Cardinals have seen so far this season.