Big Red
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- Mar 16, 2019
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The Cardinals were angry they let one slip away against the Dolphins on Sunday.
Despite being outgained by 130 yards, Miami used a defensive touchdown and a huge advantage in the kicking game to squeak out a 34-31 victory, dropping the Cardinals to 5-3.
While frustration ran rampant in the home locker room afterward, doubt did not accompany it.
"There is no panic," coach Kliff Kingsbury said. "There is no sky-is-falling mentality from this group. They understand there is a lot of football left to play, and the most meaningful games are in front of us."
After several consecutive seasons of second-half irrelevance, the Cardinals enter the stretch run of 2020 in the thick of the playoff race.
While a pair of three-point losses have kept them from a dazzling record, the Cardinals currently boast the best point-differential in the NFC at plus-54 and have an offense on the precipice of greatness behind star quarterback Kyler Murray.
"We're at the halfway point, and we're not close to what we think we can be," Kingsbury said. "That's exciting for us as coaches. We've had some moments of brilliance, if you will. We've had some moments we'd like to have back. That's natural for the midway point. What matters is what we do forward."
Murray had a phenomenal statistical performance against a Dolphins team that entered as the NFL's No. 1 scoring defense. He threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns at 10.9 yards per attempt while adding 106 rushing yards and a score at 9.6 yards per carry.
Murray is No. 8 in the NFL in rushing yards this season (543) and is atop the leaderboard in yards per carry (7.1). His passing has improved noticeably in the past month, with a yards per attempt figure of 8.97 and a passer rating of 111.7.
"I do think since about the first month, when he's settled in, that he's really upped his game," Kingsbury said. "His preparation, his consistency at the facility has been great, and I couldn't be more impressed with how he's handled everything in a unique year. I'm excited to see how the second half of the season plays out for him, because he's playing with a lot of confidence."
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