With a 22-20 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, the Miami Dolphins secured a playoff berth with a field goal from Jason Sanders that covered 29 yards as time expired.
The AFC East-leading Dolphins (11-4), led by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s 293 yards and touchdown pass, defeated a team with a winning record for the first time this season. He established two connections with Tyreek Hill during the game-winning drive, which spanned 64 yards and consumed the last 3:27 of the game’s clock.
Hill, who leads the NFL in receiving yards, missed last week’s victory over the New York Jets with an ankle injury and finished with nine receptions for 99 yards.
Dak Prescott completed 20 of 32 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns for the Cowboys (10-5), who fell a half-game behind Philadelphia in the NFC East despite having already clinched a playoff berth.
With an 8-yard touchdown pass to a soaring Brandin Cooks in the corner of the end zone, Prescott propelled the Dallas ahead 20-19. However, the Cowboys’ earlier red-zone struggles, which included Prescott’s fumble on first-and-goal from inside the 1 on Dallas’ first possession, continued to haunt them.
Sanders made his career-long first field goal of 57 yards during the first quarter. Late in the third quarter, his additional kicks of 52, 54, and 35 yards helped the Dolphins gain a 19-10 lead.
Prescott inspired the Cowboys with his innovative playmaking. He completed a pass to Michael Gallup on the game-winning drive while Miami linebacker Duke Riley pulled him to the ground at the 21-yard line.
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On fourth-and-goal, following a penalty for defensive holding in the end zone against Miami safety DeShon Elliott, Prescott passed the ball to Cooks, who successfully caught it above All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
For the Cowboys, CeeDee Lamb caught six passes for 118 yards, including one for 49 yards in the first quarter.
Just before halftime, Raheem Mostert recorded his NFL-leading twenty-onest touchdown of the season via a catch from Tagovailoa. Sunday’s 46 rushing yards propelled the 31-year-old, who was previously shuffled throughout the league after being undrafted out of Purdue in 2015, past 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. The Dolphins have not had a rusher amass 1,000 yards since Jay Ajayi in 2016.
The Cowboys accumulated 78 yards in 15 plays during their opening possession; however, a fumble was recovered by the Dolphins at their 1, following a poor exchange between quarterback Derek Prescott and running back Hunter Luepke.
It appeared at first that the dynamic fourth-year receiver would penalize Miami defensive coordinator Vic Fangio for not assigning Ramsey the responsibility of shadowing Lamb. Early in the first quarter, Lamb decimated the remainder of Miami’s secondary for 93 yards on four receptions.
Prescott completed a 22-yard crossover pass to Lamb during the Cowboys’ second possession. Lamb defeated Kader Kohou, a second-year cornerback, in the slot for a catch-and-run touchdown a few plays later, which extended Dallas’ lead to 7-3.
The defense of Miami settled in after Dallas’s first two drives resulted in more than 150 yards conceded. Fangio increased the pressure, and it was successful. Four Prescott sacks by the Dolphins contributed to their franchise-high 50 for the season and compelled the Cowboys to concede four consecutive punts.
Early in the fourth quarter, Dallas re-entered the red zone; however, Miami’s defense held firm, and the Cowboys were forced to settle for a field goal to cut the deficit to 19-13.
TRAUE INDURIES
Miami: Wide receiver Robbie Chosen was assessed for a concussion in the first quarter but was unable to return. WR Jaylen Waddle momentarily exited the game in the second quarter after receiving an eye poke. After returning, he limped off the field in the third quarter following a tackle. Shin pain ruled him out of competition.
