MIAMI GARDENS -- For the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday's come-from-behind 28-27 win over the Miami Dolphins was about more than evening their record and winning back-to-back games for the first time in three years.
It was about staying the course in a game in which they didn't lead until kicker Chad Ryland sent a 34-yard field goal through the uprights at Hard Rock Stadium as time expired, his third game-winning kick in the four weeks he's been in Arizona. It was about the Cardinals' struggling to get the Dolphins off the field on third down yet still pulling off the victory. It was about an offense that didn't find it's rhythm until the fourth quarter but managed to score 10 points in the final 9 minutes and execute a near flawless game-winning drive.
It was about winning ugly.
"It wasn't perfect," quarterback Kyler Murray said. "But if we continue to grow on this, then we can be up there with anybody."
The Cardinals (4-4) sit in a tie for first place in the NFC West with the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks. But Sunday has the potential to be the spark for a kind of run many in the locker room, including defensive lineman L.J. Collier, believes is possible -- especially with the Cardinals' upcoming schedule. Leading into the team's bye in Week 11, the Chicago Bears (4-3) visit Arizona on Sunday fresh off a loss to the Washington Commanders on a last-second Hail Mary, followed by a visit from the New York Jets (2-6).
To veteran right tackle Kelvin Beachum, Sunday's win was as much of a confidence boost as anything to the Cardinals. It showed them they could stack wins, something that had evaded them thus far.
It's progress, he said.
This week is about repeating and recreating what happened in South Florida on Sunday against Chicago and stacking another win, Beachum added.
"I think this is one of those wins that talks to the fact that even when we're not playing our best ball, we can still find a way to win," Beachum said. "In the past, those are games that we would've lost. So, today was, I think, really telling that this team is finding a way to come together."
It helped that Murray got 100-yard performances from two players: Tight end Trey McBride caught nine passes for 124 yards while rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. caught six for 111 yards and a touchdown.
"We got so many weapons," Murray said. "We gotta get these guys the ball."
He continued: "I think we can be one of the best offenses in the league. Obviously, today was one of our better days. Probably the best day we've had since the Rams game, but it's about being consistent, you know?
"And, I think, that's where we take strides is if we can continue to do this and play the way we played today."
Arizona's trip to Miami capped a whirlwind three weeks. Three of the Cardinals' four games in October were on the road and all happened within a 21-day span. Starting with a loss in Green Bay on Oct. 13, the Cardinals then returned back home for a win on "Monday Night Football" over the Los Angeles Chargers on Oct. 21, which led into a short week and a long trip to Florida for Sunday's game. After beating the Dolphins, Gannon gave a raucous locker room two days off, telling them "see you motherf---ers Wednesday."
The extra days off will help Arizona get healthy, Murray said, and give the player a break from the chaos of the last three weeks.
On Saturday night, the Cardinals' coaching staff's message was about being resilient and persevering. Until Sunday, Arizona's season had been a rollercoaster of being consistently inconsistent, alternating between wins and losses with the exception of a two-game losing streak to the Commanders and Packers. Then Arizona went to Miami, spoiled quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's return from a concussion and Murray threw at will against a pass defense that came into the game ranked No. 1, putting up 307 yards and two touchdowns on 26-for-36 passing.
Arizona is finally experiencing a form of consistency in the shape of consecutive wins for the first time since 2021, which was the last season the Cardinals went to the playoffs.
The Cardinals aren't being complacent after back-to-back wins. They know anything can happen on any given Sunday.
"You don't want to go into a game where it's not going your way," Beachum said. "You want to be able to click on all cylinders. It just wasn't. And you find ways to persevere. You find ways to keep fighting. You find ways to stay in the game. And we stayed in the game and defense made us stop and we found a way to get a score.
"And sometimes that's how it goes, and the thing is is you play this game long enough, you realize a win is a win. Sometimes they're beautiful. Sometimes they're blowout. Sometimes you play extremely well. Sometimes you play like trash. Today we played like trash. We found a way to get a win, like just the nature of it."