The Miami Dolphins will kick off their Week 9 contest this afternoon against the Arizona Cardinals in a clash of young quarterbacks and upstart programs. Both the Dolphins and Cardinals will sport winning records entering this contest and there’s a fair chance that both teams will still be net winners at the end of the contest, too — Miami just needs to win to push both teams to 5-3 on the season.
But how do our friends are Cards Wire expect to see today’s contest unfold? We went behind enemy lines to check in with Cards Wire and get a feel for where Arizona stands entering Week 9.
1. Cardinals QB Kyler Murray is off to quite a start in Year 2. What have teams done to him best to force him to make mistakes?
Murray has mostly been able to avoid mistakes. He had three interceptions against the Lions. One should have been a catch. One was a bad decision and the other was avoidable if he makes a better throw. So for the most part, he just hasn’t been making mistakes. He is most prone to doing so if he is stuck in the pocket and has pressure in his face. Once he is outside the pocket, he usually either throws the ball away, runs or makes a check down throw. But basically he has to have guys in his face in the pocket and not be able to get away.
2. What is the temperature on RB Kenyan Drake’s long-term status with the team?
He won’t play in Week 9 but the Dolphins’ deadline deal of Drake was a hotly contested decision at the time.After the David Johnson contract, the Cardinals will not likely make long-term commitments to running backs. They believe in Chase Edmonds, who will start in Week 9, so Drake will probably not be re-signed. That’s why they went with the one-year transition tag tender. Kliff Kingsbury loves Drake but they probably move on next year.
3. How has Arizona been able to keep Murray so clean on offense? Is the line that improved or are there other factors at play?
One factor is the offensive line has simply improved. LT D.J. Humphries is playing the best ball of his career. Kelvin Beachum has been great at right tackle. There has been solid play inside. But the secret is that the line played well last year. No one outside of Arizona really knows this because they only see that Murray was sacked a league-leading 48 times. Most of those sacks were on Murray. So the big difference has been Murray is making quicker decisions. The line is playing well but it is a mix of scheme and quarterback play that is making the difference, and since Murray is so elusive and fast, he can erase line mistakes.
4. Budda Baker has been terrific. How do you anticipate the Cardinals’ staff to implement him this week?
He will be used a variety of ways. He will blitz, he will roam the back end and he might even line up in the slot from time to time. He is the back end eraser and plays hard against the run as well.
5. Score prediction and a brief explanation of how it goes down?
I believe the Cardinals will take care of the ball and will be able to move the ball offensively. The defense will confuse Tua and this game won’t be as close as some think.
Cardinals: 34
Dolphins: 17