Dolphins-Cardinals Five Biggest Storylines

Breaking down the Miami Dolphins Week 8 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) throws the football against the Buffalo Bills during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins will look to move their record to 3-4 when they face the Arizona Cardinals at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.

The Dolphins are coming off a 16-10 loss against the Indianapolis Colts, but quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will be back in the lineup for the first time since their Week 2 game against the Buffalo Bills. The Cardinals are 3-4, coming off a 17-15 victory against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night.

The teams are meeting for the first time since the 2020 season when the Dolphins won 34-31 in Arizona.

Here are the five biggest storylines for this Week 8 matchup.

1) TUA TIME

The top storyline in this game could not be more obvious, and, in fact, it's among the biggest storylines around the NFL this week. Tua Tagovailoa is back, and the hope is his return can jump-start the Dolphins offense, which has been wrong all season, particularly in the past four games with Skylar Thompson, Tim Boyle, and Tyler Huntley as quarterbacks.

2) TYREEK UNLEASHED

Despite being listed as questionable on the final injury report of the week, the expectation heading into the weekend was that Tyreek Hill would be able to play against the Cardinals, and it could be that the return of Tua to the lineup is what he needed to get going. After his 130-yard outing in the season opener against Jacksonville, Hill had 164 yards in the next five games combined. This won't get it done for the offense to get anywhere near the level it reached at its peak last season. Hill was downright giddy when talking about Tua's return this week, and now it's time for him to deliver.

3) CAN SIELER-LESS DEFENSE CONTAIN CONNER?

The biggest challenge for the Dolphins' defense will be stopping James Conner's inside running, with a dose of Kyler Murray scrambling mixed in. This would be a much more manageable situation if not for the absence of Zach Sieler because of that freaky injury that reportedly broke an orbital bone. Sieler has been the one constant for the front seven, and his absence could be felt. It will be up to longtime Cardinals D-lineman Calais Campbell to play more snaps and the rest of the front seven to compensate for Sieler's absence.

4) WILL DOLPHINS STAY ON THE RUN?

The Dolphins are coming off two games where they ran the ball at least 40 times, something they hadn't done since the second and third games of the 2012 season. With Tua back, it's highly unlikely a third straight game will happen, but the question is how far the number will fall off. The bigger question is how effective the running game can continue to be and how well it can complement what should be a better passing game.

5) SPECIAL TEAMS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

It has not been a good stretch for the special teams. Last week's biggest issue against the Colts was Jason Sanders's missed 54-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter. It would be nice if the special teams could deliver some game-changing plays if needed.