The Miami Dolphins' last-second 28-27 loss to the Arizona Cardinals was a mixed bag.

Starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa returned to the offense after suffering a concussion in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills and immediately made a positive impact. The Dolphins looked like a functioning team for the most part, but they faltered at key points in the second half and fell to 2-5.

“I thought there were both positives and negatives to the game,” Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said, “and that's magnified by the situation we put ourselves in.”

Somehow they're still in second place in the AFC East, so there's a chance they can sneak into the Wild Card, but they need to start playing like a more complete team – right away.

Miami made a good first step on offense in this game. They were able to move the ball largely at will against one of the worst defenses in the league, which is not a given. They had struggled offensively since the end of last season, but bounced back with Tagovailoa back under center.

The Dolphins didn't take advantage of as many downfield opportunities as in the past, but they moved the ball efficiently. According to TruMedia, the Dolphins averaged 0.17 expected extra points per game and had a 49.2% success rate – both numbers well above league average and much more successful than they have been in the last four games without Tagovailoa.

Even then, Tagovailoa wanted more.

“I think we’re too talented not to finish the drive with points,” Tagovailoa said.

Tyreek Hill, De'Von Achane and Jaylen Waddle all had big moments on Sunday, which is important because Miami's best playmakers remained calm during this difficult stretch. Getting these people active and productive again is a big deal because they've shown that they don't necessarily work automatically week after week. The Cardinals are certainly not the toughest opponent, but baby steps are fine for this offense and the ability to score against a poor defense is actually a positive sign.

“It was important to me to get everyone involved in the game,” Tagovailoa said.

While the offense was revitalized, Miami's defense delivered an uncharacteristically poor performance that ultimately made the game difficult for them. They've been one of the better defenses in the league since the first half of the season opener, but the Cardinals have torn them apart.

Arizona averaged 2.9 points per drive (any number around 3 is elite) and scored on 80% of its drives in the second half. Prior to this game, the Cardinals were easily among the top 10 defenses, ranking sixth in points per play (1.7), fifth in expected points added per play (0.12), and first in points allowed per play (0.12). in the print rate (42.6%). You have to give the Cardinals offense some credit for playing well, but if the Dolphins had been up to their usual standard defensively, they would have easily won this game.

That's a tough pill for Miami to swallow. When the offense finally came together, the defense struggled and the Dolphins ended up losing a crucial home game. Their division is such a mess right now that they're still in second place and obviously have room for improvement, but at 2-5 it's going to be incredibly difficult to get into the playoffs. They'll have to be near perfect the rest of the way to advance, which isn't a realistic expectation for this team.

At least they can take solace in the fact that the offense looked like a major NFL offense for the first time in several games, before Tagovailoa's recent concussion. The dolphins need They want to win next week's game in Buffalo to keep their season alive, but there was at least a small glimmer of hope during Sunday's loss to the Cardinals.