NFL Week 15 roundup: Cardinals lose chance to clinch, fall to Lions

DETROIT — Kyler Murray had a shaky performance and that helped the Detroit Lions stun the Arizona Cardinals 30-12 on Sunday.

The Cardinals (10-4) started the day tied for the NFL’s best record and were undefeated on the road.

While the Lions (2-11-1) were mired at the bottom of the league standings before the first snap.

Arizona, coming off a loss on Monday night to the NFC West-rival Los Angeles Rams, missed its chance to get in the playoffs for the first time since 2015 with a win over a team it was favored to beat by nearly two touchdowns.

BIG win for the @Lions! #OnePride #AZvsDET pic.twitter.com/u1GJZn4qWc

— NFL (@NFL) December 19, 2021

The Cardinals can still earn a postseason berth during Week 15, but they’ll need some other playoff contenders to lose.

And in any scenario, Murray will have to play better.

The third-year quarterback was 23 of 41 for 257 yards with a touchdown and an interception, adding up to a 72.9 passer rating. The third-year pro has had a slightly lower rating twice this season, and the Cardinals lost both games to the Rams and Green Bay.

Murray couldn’t get away from the scrappy Lions when he tried to run, and finished with 3 yards rushing on four carries.

By the time Murray threw a touchdown pass, there was 4:40 left in the game and Arizona trailed by 15 points.

Detroit kicked a field goal on the ensuing drive, essentially sealing the win, and coach Kliff Kingsbury put Colt McCoy in the game in place of Murray.

Jared Goff, meanwhile, was the best quarterback on the field in one of many surprises at Ford Field.

He completed 21 of 26 passes for 216 yards with three touchdowns.

.@AmaniO with the full extension for the INT‼️#AZvsDET | ???? FOX pic.twitter.com/dWwcsDD6U0

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 19, 2021

Detroit’s Craig Reynolds ran for a career-high 112 yards and rookie receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown had 90 yards receiving, setting a season high for the second straight week, and a touchdown.

The Cardinals took their own wide-body jet, complete with 28 lie-down seats, to a game for the first time and might’ve gotten too comfortable on the way to the Motor City.

Detroit opened the game with a 15-play, 63-yard drive that took 8:50 off the clock and ended with a field goal.

The Cardinals, who gained 17 yards on their first three possessions, finally started moving the ball late in the second quarter only to have the drive end at the Lions 3 when Murray’s pass fell incomplete on fourth down.

Early in the third, Arizona settled for a field goal instead of going for it on fourth-and-3 at the Lions 11.

Detroit picked up a pair of first downs on the ensuing drive to get into Arizona territory before running back Godwin Igwebuike lost a fumble for the second straight week.

How INSANE is the Lions win over the Cardinals?

It is the first time in NFL HISTORY, a team with 1 win or fewer beat a 10+ win team by double-digits. pic.twitter.com/lgWEUvZZlR

— NFL on CBS ???? (@NFLonCBS) December 19, 2021

Two snaps later, cornerback Amani Oruwariye fully extended to pick off a pass Murray threw to the outside toward A.J. Green, who didn’t come back to the ball, and he returned it 50 yards. On the next play, Goff threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jason Cabinda to put Detroit ahead 24-3.

Cowboys 21, Giants 6

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence forced a fumble and made two other big plays that led to 15 points and the NFL-East leading Dallas Cowboys inched closer to their first playoff berth since 2018 with a 21-6 win over the error-plagued New York Giants.

Dak Prescott threw touchdown, Ezekiel Elliott scored on a 13-yard run and the defense forced four turnovers, including Trevon Diggs’ NFL-leading 10th interception. The Cowboys (10-4) won their third straight. Greg Zuerlein added three field goals.

Dallas would clinch a playoff berth later Sunday with a loss or tie by New Orleans or a loss by San Francisco.

Graham Gano kicked field goals of 35 and 42 yards as the Giants (4-10) lost their third straight game with backup Mike Glennon starting for the injured Daniel Jones (neck).

This game was not as close as the score. Dallas has four takeaways in three straight games for the ninth time in team history, and the first since 1994. The Cowboys never trailed and the Giants never looked threatening against a defense that also got interceptions from Jourdan Lewis and Malik Hooker.

Lewis’ pick came after Lawrence hit Glennon as he was throwing. It led to Elliott’s TD run on a draw. Prescott’s 1-yard TD pass to Dalton Schultz capped a short third-quarter drive that started after Lawrence and Neville Gallimore stuffed Glennon on a fourth-and-1 sneak from the New York 29.

Prescott finished 28 of 37 for 217 yards. Schultz caught all eight of his targets for 67 yards.

Sidelined by a broken foot most of the season, Lawrence set up 10 of the 15 first-half points. His hit on Saquon Barkley forced a fumble that Carlos Watkins recovered at the Giants 46 with :41 left in the half. Zuerlein, who missed the extra point after the Elliott touchdown, hit a 27-yard field goal, his third of the half. He also converted from 26 and 42 yards, but missed two extra points kicking into a crosswind.

The three interceptions gave Dallas a league-high 23 picks.

The Giants’ major accomplishment was ending rookie Micah Parsons’ run of making a full sack in six straight games. New York also did not get blown out this time; it dropped a 44-20 decision in Dallas on Oct. 10.

Dolphins 31, Jets 24

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — DeVante Parker caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa with 3:37 left, Duke Johnson rushed for two scores and the Miami Dolphins extended their winning streak to six games by topping the New York Jets 31-24 on Sunday.

Johnson — basically the go-to back for Miami as a last resort because of virus-related issues throughout the week — finished with 107 yards on 22 carries for the Dolphins (7-7), who rallied from an early 10-0 deficit. It was the first two-rushing-TD game of Johnson’s NFL career and the first 100-yard game from a Miami rusher this season.

Defensive lineman Christian Wilkins caught a touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter for Miami, juggling the ball before controlling it and then letting loose with a wild celebration. The 6-foot-4, 310-pound defensive lineman leaped into the stands, then did “the worm” in the end zone as teammates danced around him.

Brandin Echols had a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown midway through the fourth for the Jets. Zach Wilson and Braxton Berrios rushed for scores for New York; Wilson completed 13 of 23 passes for 170 yards for the Jets.

Tagovailoa completed 16 of 27 passes for 196 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for Miami.

The Dolphins became the second team in NFL history to get to 7-7 after starting a season 1-7. The other team on that list — the Jets, in 1974. The season was only 14 weeks back then, so that’s where the Jets’ turnaround ended and did so without a playoff berth.

Playoff talk is still a long way from real in Miami this season, but the Dolphins at least remain alive with games left to play against New Orleans, Tennessee and New England.

Berrios — back in the stadium where he, like Johnson, played his college football for Miami — opened the scoring by pinballing his way into the end zone from 2 yards out. Tagovailoa was picked off on the next Miami drive, which the Jets turned into a field goal and a 10-0 lead.

Johnson scored from a yard out to get the Dolphins on the scoreboard, only to have it answered by Wilson doing the same to restore the Jets’ 10-point edge.

But Johnson tied it early in the third to cap an eight-play, 76-yard drive, and Wilkins gave Miami a 24-17 lead just 33 seconds into the fourth quarter. Tagovailoa’s pick-6 throw cost Miami the lead, but then his pass to Parker ended up as the eventual winner.

Jets safety Elijah Riley was taken off the field on a backboard after being injured during the third quarter, getting hurt in a collision with Jets teammate Kyle Phillips. Riley’s head was stabilized before he was removed from the field on a cart, and as players from both the Jets and Dolphins went to his side to offer a kind word he appeared to raise his right arm skyward.

Texans 30, Jaguars 16

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Tremon Smith returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, ending the longest drought in the NFL, and the Houston Texans beat woeful Jacksonville 30-16 on Sunday to end a three-game skid and extend their dominance in the series.

Smith somehow escaped five defenders near the 30-yard line — Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins broke his right ankle trying to make the tackle — before coasting the rest of the way. It was Houston’s first kickoff return for a score since Oct. 4, 2009. Every other NFL team had enjoyed at least one since.

Rookie quarterback Davis Mills won for the first time in eight starts. He connected with Brandin Cooks twice for touchdowns, once early and again late. The second one was a 43-yarder that sealed yet another Houston victory against Jacksonville.

The Texans (3-11) won their eighth straight against the Jaguars (2-12), sweeping their rivals for the ninth time in the last 11 years.

The latest one capped a tumultuous week for Jacksonville, which fired Urban Meyer early Thursday to end one of the worst coaching tenures in NFL history.

Many thought the Jaguars would rally under interim coach Darrell Bevell after seemingly silencing much of the drama surrounding the franchise. Even gamblers put enough money on Jacksonville to make Houston a 5-point underdog at kickoff, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Instead, the lowly Texans rolled — again.

The Jags showed no spark before or after the kickoff return and ended up dropping their sixth consecutive game. It was their 10th straight loss against AFC South opponents.

Bills 31, Panthers 14

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen threw three touchdown passes, Devin Singletary ran for a season-high 86 yards with his quarterback mostly kept in the pocket by a sprained left foot and the Buffalo Bills beat the offensively challenged Carolina Panthers 31-14 Sunday.

Allen finished 19 of 34 for 210 yards while Singletary kept Buffalo moving on the ground and opened the scoring on a 16-yard run.

The Bills limited Allen’s mobility a week after the fourth-year starter was hurt in a 33-27 overtime loss at Tampa Bay. Allen was sacked a season-high four times for 17 yards. He scrambled once for 26 yards in the third quarter.

Gabriel Davis scored twice, including a 20-yard catch on a post route for a 24-8 lead with six minutes left in the third quarter — Davis had several steps on defender Rashaan Melvin on that one. Davis also scored on a 14-yard catch in the fourth quarter, and Stefon Diggs had an 11-yard TD grab in a game the Bills never trailed.

Buffalo (8-6) was at risk of its first three-game skid in three years. The Bills have won four of nine games and kept a hold of at least a wild-card spot. They can still repeat as AFC East champions, too, with a key showdown against first-place New England (9-5) next Sunday.

The Panthers (5-9) dropped their fourth straight and lost for the ninth time in 11 games. In a what-else-can-go-wrong season, Carolina was dealt a blow a little over an hour before kickoff when kicker Zane Gonzalez had to be helped off the field after hurting his quadriceps.

The injury left Carolina minus a real kicker. The Panthers passed up a field-goal attempt and failed to convert fourth-and-9 from Buffalo’s 24 to end their second possession. Carolina converted one of two 2-point attempts.

After Cam Newton scored on a 4-yard run, DJ Moore made a one-handed catch in the right corner of the end zone to cut Buffalo’s lead to 14-8 with 1:48 left in the first half. Newton was stopped on a running attempt after hitting Ameer Abdullah for a 23-yard touchdown catch with 11:01 remaining.

The Panthers converted just 1 of 5 fourth-down tries, with Efe Obada ending Carolina’s last real chance for a comeback by sacking Newton for an 8-yard loss on fourth-and-10 from his own 46 with under six minutes left.

Allen’s one miscue was an interception in which he sailed a pass intended for Diggs that was picked off by Jeremy Chinn. Allen’s ninth interception in seven games set up Newton’s touchdown.

Newton finished 13 of 39 for 156 yards and an interception, with 15 carries for a team-leading 71 yards. He extended his NFL record by scoring a TD rushing and TD passing for the 44th time of his career. Newton also extended his streak of scoring a TD rushing to five consecutive games, matching the NFL record for a quarterback set by Arizona’s Kyler Murray last year.

49ers 31, Falcons 13

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 235 yards and a TD, San Francisco ran for three more scores and the 49ers won for the fifth time in six games, beating the Atlanta Falcons 31-13 on Sunday.

The Niners (8-6) scored touchdowns on four straight drives to make easy work of the Falcons (6-8) to remain in wild-card position as the sixth-place team in the NFC.

Atlanta got stopped at the goal line on its first possession of the game and lost a fumble on a strip sack by Nick Bosa on the opening drive of the second half.

That helped the Niners take control as they took advantage of the good field position to drive 38 yards to take a 24-10 lead on Jeff Wilson Jr.’s 5-yard run.

The Falcons settled for a field goal in the red zone on their next possession when pressure by Arden Key forced Matt Ryan into an incomplete pass on third-and-goal from the 4.

San Francisco responded with a 75-yard drive capped by Garoppolo’s 4-yard TD pass to Jauan Jennings.

Kyle Juszczyk and and Deebo Samuel scored on San Francisco’s other TD runs in the first half.

Ryan threw for 236 yards with a 20-yard TD to Russell Gage in the first half, but was under relentless pressure most of the game.

The Falcons struggled near the goal line, running 13 plays from the 10-yard line or closer without scoring a TD, tied for the second-most plays that close to the end zone without a touchdown since 1991.