The Miami Dolphins (8-5) keep their playoff hopes intact as they defeat the Arizona Cardinals (5-7-1) 26-23 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Miami’s defense stopped a surging comeback by the Arizona Cardinals.
With the win, Miami is now tied with the Denver Broncos for the sixth seed in the AFC playoff picture. The loss only hurts Arizona’s playoff chances, all but taking them out of the playoff picture.
Matt Moore set up the game winning field goal with a 29-yard pass to Kenny Stills. Andrew Franks game winning field goal came from 21 yards out.
Ryan Tannehill threw for 195 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for 20 yards. Jarvis Landry had a big day for Miami, catching four passes for 103 yards. Jay Ajayi was limited to just 48 yards on the ground.
David Johnson accumulated 121 total yards, J.J. Nelson recorded one rushing and one receiving touchdown and Brittan Golden reeled in his first touchdown pass of his career.
Turnovers huant both teams
The Dolphins and the Cardinals combined for six turnovers in today’s matchup. Carson Palmer was responsible for three of Arizona’s turnovers, throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble. Palmer finished the game 18-33 for 125 yards and two touchdowns. David Johnson had a fumble in the first quarter.
Tannehill theow one interception and lose a fumble. Tannehill almost had another big turnover, throwing the ball behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of 21 yards, Arizona could not recover the loose ball. Landry also lost a fumble.
Rain played a factor most of the game, as it rrained heavily on and off. The referees and team ball boys tried and keep the ball as dry as they could, but the ball got drenched as soon as the ball touched the ground.
Special teams continue to hurt the Cardinals
Chandler Catanzaro missed an extra point after the Cardinals 75-yard drive that could have tied the game at seven. A high snap was the cause for the miss. In the fourth quarter, an extra point was blocked by Jordan Phillips and was returned by Walt Aikens, giving Miami two points.
With a little over three minutes to play before halftime, Catanzaro missed a field goal from 41 yards out. Catanzaro put enough leg into the kick, but the ball bounced off the right upright. Catanzaro made up for it, hitting a 56-yard field goal before halftime.
When the Cardinals had to punt the ball away, Drew Butler had a 62-yard punt, but a 17-yard return by the Dolphins and a penalty, Miami gained better field position. On punt return for the Cardinals, on two different occasions the Cardinals were backed up because of two holding calls.
Key injuries to both teams
Arizona lost a pair of key defenders in an already thin secondary. On the first drive of the second quarter, hybrid player Deone Bucannon and cornerback Marcus Cooper sustained injuries on back-to-back plays. Both were ruled as questionable, with Bucannon suffering an ankle injury while Cooper suffered a back injury. Neither would return
Miami must be concerned as their key injury was to quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill left the game late in the third with an apparent knee injury. He was listed as questionable to return. Moore was able to finish the remainder of the game.
Looking ahead
The Dolphins will end the season taking on their AFC East rivals. The Broncos will play the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders. Both teams will be watching the other closely down the stretch.
As for the Cardinals, they will be playing for pride. Once regarded as a favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, they face an offseason full of uncertainty. They will end their season against the New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams.