Arizona defence makes big plays, Feely hits FG in OT for 24-21 win over Miami

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Their quarterback was sacked eight times, they gave up 394 yards passing, they managed a whopping 28 yards on the ground.

And they won.

That’s the way it is for Arizona at home, where the Cardinals have won eight in a row — five of them in overtime.

The latest thriller came Sunday, when Jay Feely’s 46-yard field beat the Miami Dolphins 24-21 in overtime, improving the Cardinals to 4-0.

“Team-wise, personal-wise, offence-wise, that was crazy,” Arizona quarterback Kevin Kolb said.

The Dolphins (1-3) had to wonder how this could happen to them two weeks in a row. The previous Sunday they lost 23-20 in overtime to the New York Jets.

“‘I am kind of speechless,” wide receiver Brian Hartline said after the game of his life. “I really don’t know what to say. … Losing isn’t fun, but there are games where you just get beat. I don’t mind saying it — I don’t feel we got beat.”

Hartline set a franchise record with 253 yards receiving on 11 catches.

“I had no idea,” he said. “It’s huge to be etched in history. I don’t want to smile right now, but I’m proud to say I belong in Dolphins history.”

But it wasn’t enough for a Dolphins victory.

Miami was on the brink of pulling it out after a two-play turnaround in the fourth quarter.

After the Cardinals had rallied from a 13-0 deficit to go up 14-13, Arizona’s Patrick Peterson scooped up a Dolphins fumble weaved his way 61 yards to the Miami 3. But Kolb tried to force one to Larry Fitzgerald, and Sean Smith got his second interception of the day. Replays showed that Smith had shoved Fitzgerald in the back on the play.

On the following play, rookie Ryan Tannehill connected with Hartline on an 80-yard touchdown play, the 2-point conversion making it 21-14 with 7:05 left in regulation.

When Arizona went three and out after the kickoff, it looked bad for the home team.

But inside linebacker Daryl Washington burst up the middle and sacked Tannehill, jarring the ball loose. Vonnie Holliday jumped on it at the Cardinals 49. Kolb was sacked on the first two plays, but on third-and-18, he threw 16 yards to Roberts. On fourth-and-2, he found Roberts again for nine yards.

Eventually, the Cardinals made it to the 15, but three straight passes fell incomplete. On fourth down, Kolb hit Roberts just inside the left sidelines in the end zone with 22 seconds left and it was tied 21-21.

In overtime, Arizona won the toss and went nowhere. The Dolphins took the punt and were on the move when Paris Lenon, the Cardinals’ other inside linebacker, slammed into Tannehill as he threw. The ball flew into the arms of safety Kerry Rhodes and a handful of plays later, Feely’s kick gave the Cardinals the win.

Arizona had prepared to stop Miami’s running game, with Reggie Bush back after missing the second half of the Jets game with a bruised knee. They stopped the run but Tannehill had big numbers, completing 26 of 41 for 431 yards while getting sacked four times, giving the Cardinals 16 for the season.

“I think we grew a little bit today,” Tannehill said. “It shows that we not only can move on our run game, but when we need to throw, we can. It’s something to build on.”

Miami’s Davone Bess caught seven for 123 yards. Roberts had six catches for 118 yards, including a 46-yarder for the touchdown that put Arizona up 14-13. None of the Cardinals could explain just why they are able to win these type of games so consistently.

“That’s how we do it,” Roberts said. “I don’t know what it is about us. We have to take it down to the last moment of the game, but we’re winning and that’s all that matters.”

Are they just lucky?

“It’s not luck, I can tell you that,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “It can’t be luck as many times as we’ve been successful with that.”

The pick he threw in the end zone, Kolb said, was “probably the worst (play) in my career.”

The late TD pass to Roberts, Kolb said, is “probably the most special.”

“We obviously weren’t ready to play in the first half, it seemed,” Kolb said. “They were more physical than us. They were executing better than us. I think we’ve seen so many miracles happen in this stadium that we just don’t ever give up hope.”

NOTES: Miami’s previous franchise record for yards receiving in a game was 238 (on 15 catches) by Chris Chambers against Buffalo on Dec. 4, 2005. … Fitzgerald caught a pass for the 121st consecutive game, tying the franchise record held by Mel Gray. It’s second-longest active streak in NFL behind Tony Gonzalez (183). … Miami’s Cameron Wake had 4.5 tackles, a half-tackle shy of the Dolphins record. … Arizona DT Darnell Dockett (hamstring) missed a game for only the second time in his career. … The Cardinals have a short turnaround, playing at St. Louis Thursday night. Miami is at Cincinnati next Sunday.

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