Arizona Cardinals vs Miami Dolphins Match Player Stats On Dec 11, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Dec 11, 2016

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Andrew Franks kicked a 21-yard field goal on the final play of the game, leading the Miami Dolphins to a 26-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium.

The win came at a cost. Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill suffered a knee injury -- severity unknown -- and did not return.

His replacement, Matt Moore, was a hero for the Dolphins, completing a 29-yard pass to Kenny Stills on the final drive. That set Miami up at the Arizona 1-yard line with 37 seconds left.

On Miami's final play from scrimmage, running back Damien Williams scrambled around and hit the turf just in time. Miami called timeout with one second left, allowing Franks his opportunity to win the game.

The Dolphins (8-5) kept their playoff hopes alive by winning for the seventh time in the past eight games.

Arizona (5-7-1) lost two fumbles, threw two interceptions and had three failed kicks by Chandler Catanzaro.

Tannehill was hurt with 1:46 left in the third quarter on a hit by former Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Calais Campbell.

Arizona running back David Johnson exceeded 100 yards from scrimmage for the 13th consecutive game this season, tying an NFL record set in 2005 by Edgerrin James. Johnson ran for 80 yards and caught five passes for 41 yards.

Miami led 7-6 after a nutty, five-turnover first quarter.

The Dolphins scored first as Tannehill hit Stills on a 28-yard post pattern in the end zone. That capped a 52-yard drive set up by Mike Hull catching a deflection for his first career interception. Hull, an undrafted second-year player from Penn State, also made his first NFL start.

On the ensuing drive, Arizona scored on a 56-yard end-around by wide receiver J.J. Nelson, who made a decisive cut and was not touched. It was the first rushing touchdown of his two-year career and his longest play from scrimmage this season.

However, Catanzaro missed the extra-point attempt.

After Tannehill lost a fumble at the Arizona 2, he came right back with a 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dion Sims, putting the Dolphins up 14-6.

The Cardinals closed their deficit to 14-9 on a 56-yard field goal by Catanzaro with just 1:18 left before halftime. Catanzaro had missed a 41-yard field goal attempt that hit an upright earlier in the half.

Miami opened the third quarter with a long scoring drive that was capped by a 3-yard pass from Tannehill to Williams. The drive was set up by wide receiver Jarvis Landry, who broke a tackle on a short pattern and ended up with a 71-yard play.

The Cardinals closed their deficit to 21-15 on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer to Brittan Golden in the left corner of the end zone. But Catanzaro's extra-point try was blocked by Jordan Phillips and returned for a Dolphins two-pointer by Walt Aiken.

That gave Miami a 23-15 lead.

Arizona came right back, scoring on an 8-yard pass from Palmer to Nelson with 3:01 left in the fourth quarter. Palmer completed a pass to Johnson for the two-point conversion, tying the score 23-23.

That led to Miami's final drive, which went 44 yards on six plays for the Franks field goal.

NOTES: This was the Cardinals' first south Florida visit since 2004. ... FS Tyrann Mathieu, considered the emotional leader of the Cardinals, missed his fourth game in five weeks with a shoulder injury that might now require surgery. ... During Sunday's game, Cardinals SS Tyvon Branch (groin) was pulled and did not return. ... The Cardinals have two former Miami Hurricanes on their roster: starting DT Calais Campbell and backup DL Olsen Pierre, who was inactive on Sunday. ... Cardinals starting CB Patrick Peterson is local, from Deerfield Beach. ... The Dolphins' inactive list included five injured starters: LB Kiko Alonso (hamstring, broken right thumb), C Mike Pouncey (hip), CB Xavien Howard (knee), LB Jelani Jenkins (knee, hand) and DE Mario Williams (ankle). ... This was the first game Alonso missed this season. The injuries to Williams and Jenkins are also new. ... The Dolphins activated DE Jason Jones after a two-week suspension that stemmed from an offseason arrest and DUI charge.