Third-quarter safety on a bad snap proved to be the turning point in Dolphins’ defeat
Tua Tagovailoa’s first game in more than a month didn’t go quite as expected.
Despite him throwing for 234 yards and a touchdown, mental mistakes cost the Miami Dolphins yet again as they lost 28-27 to the Arizona Cardinals.
Look no further than the safety that occurred midway through the third quarter. At the time, the Dolphins were up 20-10 with a chance to drive down the field to go up big. One mishandled snap out of the endzone later and the lead was cut to just eight with the ball now going to the Cardinals. Arizona and Miami would trade touchdowns on subsequent possessions yet the Cards would add 10 points on their final two drives of the fourth quarter to ultimately win the game.
At 2-5, it’ll be tough for the Dolphins to make a playoff push. How the Dolphins end the season, however, will be important to morale over the next few months.
▪ Whoever started Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert is smiling from ear-to-ear.
With the Dolphins in need of a score after the Cardinals cut their lead to within two, Tagovailoa led the offense down the field to the 6-yard line. Mostert did the rest to go up 27-18.
▪ Tagovailoa’s mishandled snap sent the ball flying out the end zone and gave the Cardinals a safety.
Marvin Harrison Jr.’s 22-yard catch in the end zone would then put the Cardinals within two. A James Conner hand-off up the middle on the next play likely would have meant a tie score.
Jordyn Brooks, however, had other ideas.
The starting linebacker quite literally grabbed a leaping Conner out of the air and forced him out of the end zone to keep the Fins up 20-18.
▪ Two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Tim Bowens became just the 28th member of the Miami Dolphins Ring of Honor when he was inducted at halftime.
A 1994 first round pick who played his entire career in Miami, Bowens is considered one of the main contributors to the Dolphins’ stalwart defense during the late 90s, early 2000s.
Bowens finished his 11-year career with more than 400 combined tackles, 22 sacks and 26 tackles for loss. He was also voted defensive rookie of the year in 1994.
“Tim was the ultimate teammate,” Dolphins president and CEO Tom Garfinkel said Sunday. “He was also one of the toughest as our very own Pro Football Hall of Famer Zach Thomas coined the phrase, ‘Tim Badass Bowens.’ Zach and Jason Taylor have both credited Tim as one of the main reasons why they wear gold jackets now; he did his job with consistency and set his teammates up for success. Tough, consistent, dependable and the ultimate competitor, he was all of these things throughout his Dolphins career.”
There have been 24 players, two coaches and Joe Robbie, the Dolphins founder and first owner, to make the ring of honor in addition to the undefeated 1972 team.
“Special thanks to Coach Shula for drafting me and giving me that opportunity, and the rest of my coaches and my teammates, I love you guys,” Bowens said. “I appreciate the love, I appreciate last night, and I thank you. And to you the fans, I thank you for your support. I really appreciate it, thank you. To my family and my friends all in the stands or back home in Mississippi, thank you.”
▪ After fracturing his hand just three weeks ago against the New England Patriots, safety Jevon Holland is injured again.
Holland suffered a knee injury during the second quarter. After initially being ruled as questionable, he was downgraded to out at the start of the third quarter.
It’s unclear what happened.
Veteran safety Marcus Maye filled in for Holland.
▪ It took nearly two and a half quarters but the touchdown pass everyone has waited patiently for finally happened.
With about 8:31 left in the third quarter, Tagovailoa fired a screen pass to De’Von Achane who scored from 12 yards.
This was Tagovailoa’s first touchdown pass since the first quarter of the Dolphins’ 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Funny enough, both Achane caught that touchdown as well.
▪ One word: finally.
Tagovailoa connected with Tyreek Hill on a 30-yard pass for the first time in what felt like forever.
In reality, you have to go back to the season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars — when Hill took Tagovailoa’s pass 80 yards to the end zone — for the last time the QB-WR duo had a big play.
The deep ball — which occurred at the 1:35 mark in the second quarter — eventually set up a 25-yard Jason Sanders field goal to extend the Dolphins’ lead to 13-7 at halftime.
This story was originally published October 27, 2024 at 5:05 PM.
