WHAT TO LOOK FOR KEYS TO THE GAME
THE CARDINALS WILL WIN IF ... They protect the football, Edmonds provides the necessary spark in the run game and the defense gets after Tagovailoa and forces him into turnovers and other mistakes. THE DOLPHINS WILL WIN IF ... The defense gets at least three turnovers, they find some semblance of a run game, and special teams wins the day.
MATCHUP TO WATCH
CARDINALS WR DEANDRE HOPKINS VS. DOLPHINS CB XAVIEN HOWARD
Howard traveled with DK Metcalf when the Dolphins met the Seahawks and he’s sure to follow Hopkins all over the field as well. The majority of Hopkins’ snaps have come when he lines up on the left side of the field, which normally would be Byron Jones’ territory. Howard has an interception in each of his last four games and he’ll have a lot of targets coming his way in this one. Hopkins will relish the challenge, especially in any one-on-one situations.
SERIES HISTORY: This the 13th meeting in the alltime series that dates back to 1972. Miami holds a 9-3 advantage, winning the first eight matchups. The Cardinals have won three of the past four. The Dolphins won the most recent meeting, a 26-23 victory in 2016 that was decided by a field goal as time expired in Miami. In 2012, Arizona earned a 24-21 victory in overtime and in 2004, Larry Fitzgerald caught a touchdown pass with 19 seconds remaining to give the Cardinals a 24-23 win.
DID YOU KNOW? The 2020 season marks just the second time in the past 47 years that the Cardinals have rushed for 100 or more yards in each of the first seven games of a season. The last time they did that was 1984.