A quarterback change revived Arizona, and a missed extra point became a reprieve when its kicker delivered the winner in overtime.
The Arizona Cardinals beat the Dallas Cowboys 33-30 in overtime Sunday, turning a second-half quarterback change into a comeback and a chance for kicker Chad Ryland to repair his own late miss.
File photo: Gardner Minshew with the Philadelphia Eagles on December 21, 2021; not the Cardinals-Cowboys game. Photo: All-Pro Reels. Source photograph · CC BY-SA 2.0.
Gardner Minshew replaced Jacoby Brissett and threw three touchdown passes without an interception, according to the Cardinals' official report. His 13-yard touchdown pass to Michael Wilson with six seconds left in regulation tied the game. Ryland missed the extra point that could have put Arizona ahead.
Arizona gets one more opportunity
The miss left the teams heading to overtime rather than settling the comeback at the end of the fourth quarter. Arizona's defense then produced a three-and-out, including a third-down Josh Sweat sack, and Ryland converted a 42-yard field goal to win it.
That sequence gave the finish two distinct turning points. Minshew and Wilson created the opportunity to escape regulation with the lead; the defensive stop gave the offense another route to victory after the kick went wrong.
Running back Tyler Allgeier also played a substantial role. Arizona's report credited him with 128 rushing yards on six carries, including a 63-yard touchdown run, as well as a touchdown reception. With Jeremiyah Love and Bam Knight leaving injured, his production helped keep the comeback from depending entirely on the quarterback change.
Dallas could not protect its earlier work
The Cowboys' recap described a two-score advantage that held for much of the afternoon before Minshew's arrival changed the game. Dallas had generated two takeaways and five sacks, including two from Quinnen Williams.
Those plays gave the Cowboys opportunities to control the result. They were ultimately outweighed by the succession of Arizona scoring drives late in regulation and the failure to answer in overtime. The same defense that had disrupted the earlier offense could not make that work hold up against the replacement quarterback.
The result is a reminder of how much can change within one game without requiring a sweeping conclusion about either team's season. Dallas had a path to finish a favorable afternoon; Arizona kept finding another possession on which to challenge it.
For the Cardinals, the lasting image is Ryland making the kick that counted last. For Dallas, the review begins with how a lead and productive defensive moments became an overtime defeat. Read more in Taken Social's Sports section.
