Chad Ryland did not begin the season as Arizona’s kicker but he made an impact in October with Matt Prater out due to injury.
Now Ryland has been named NFC special teams player of the month.
Ryland connected on game-winning field goals in Weeks 5, 7, and 8. According to the league, Ryland is the first kicker since Daniel Carlson in 2021 with the Raiders to record three game-winning field goals in the last two minutes of regulation or overtime in a four-game span.
In four games this year, Ryland has hit 8-of-9 field goals and all six of his extra points.
This is Ryland’s first career player of the month award.
Ryland and the Cardinals will play the Bears in Week 9.
The Cardinals have won three of their last four games and all three victories saw quarterback Kyler Murray drive the team for game-winning field goals at the end of the fourth quarter.
It’s been a run that’s continued one of the strongest stretches of play of Murray’s career and it has the Cardinals in the thick of both the NFC playoff picture and the NFC West race heading into the second half of the season. Murray’s play has been helped out by an offensive line that has helped him avoid sacks in the last three games and left tackle Paris Johnson said that Murray’s play has helped lift the performance of the entire unit.
“It’s trust in the franchise that we are all going to play hard regardless of who is back there,” Johnson said, via the team’s website. “But when you know you are playing with a franchise guy, one of the best guys in the NFL, the confidence level and excitement level is up. When you know the guy can make the superhuman plays, you know you don’t have to do anything special. I just have to do my job.”
There have been some rough outings mixed in with the winning ones for the Cardinals and consistency will be the key to the team finding enough wins to remain in the mix into the final weeks of the season. Murray’s first eight games provide reason to think that can fall into place.
The Bears suffered a stunning loss to the Commanders last Sunday and the aftermath of Jayden Daniels’ game-winning Hail Mary featured plenty of finger pointing about how the game got away from them.
Head coach Matt Eberflus was criticized for giving the ball to offensive lineman Doug Kramer on the 1-yard-line because Kramer, who had never carried the ball before, fumbled the ball away. After taking a late lead, the Bears played soft defense to give up 13 yards to the Commanders and Daniels hit on the Hail Mary throw to Noah Brown because cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was in the wrong place after missing the start of the play jawing with fans. That led to more internal griping and an apology from Stevenson to the team on Monday.
On Wednesday, the message was that it is time to move on. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said if you “dwell on the past, you’re gonna trip going forward” and cornerback Jaylon Johnson said any thoughts about last week have to be focused on getting better in the future.
“We’re just trying to find ways to move forward and make sure everybody’s mind is in the right spot to win games,” Johnson said, via Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times. “The biggest thing is learning from it, then not letting it linger.”
The test of the Bears’ ability to turn the page and get back on track will come in Arizona this Sunday. They have not won on the road yet this season and this would be an ideal time to change that record.
On Sunday, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa mishandled a shotgun snap. It caused a safety.
On Wednesday, Salty Tua made an appearance at his midweek press conference, in response to criticism regarding the blunder.
“It’s as simple as catching the ball in the gun,” Tagvailoa told reporters. “I would say I’m a pretty good shortstop guy; I have pretty good vision; I have pretty good hands. I’d like to see a lot of other people go in the back there and try to catch that ball, too. You’ve seen it — it wasn’t [Aaron Brewer’s] best and Brew knows he can get it better, but it wasn’t my best as well. But I’m just saying to give perspective, it’s not as easy as what it looked like sitting down on your couch eating chips.”
The snap looked a little high, but it wasn’t anything Tua shouldn’t have handled. Plenty of quarterbacks have managed to catch a ball that was delivered similarly.
He should have just said he should have caught it. Turning the tables on the many who watch football and who can’t handle shotgun snaps (or do the other things an NFL quarterback does) but who expect Tua, in exchange for more than $55 million per year, to handle shotgun snaps the way other quarterbacks handle them is a rough look for a guy who has been choosing defiance since returning from his latest concussion.
It’s entertaining, but it’s a rough look.
Help is on the way for Arizona’s offensive line.
The Cardinals announced on Wednesday that the club is opening right tackle Jonah Williams’ 21-day practice window.
Williams suffered a knee injury in Arizona’s Week 1 loss to Buffalo and has been on injured reserve. He was on the field for just 22 snaps in that contest.
The Cardinals signed Williams, 26, to a two-year deal in March.
Via multiple reporters, Gannon also noted on Wednesday that the team is still taking things day-by-day with first-round pick Darius Robinson. He has been dealing with a calf injury and has yet to play this season. He did not practice all last week, but was activated as his practice window was set to expire.
The Cardinals will release their first injury report of the week later on Wednesday.
Cardinals tight end Trey McBride put together one of the best games of his young career in Sunday’s victory over the Dolphins.
He caught nine passes on 11 targets for 124 yards, including a key 17-yard catch on third-and-1 early on in the team’s game-winning drive.
In his Monday news conference, head coach Jonathan Gannon said McBride’s multifaceted skillset makes him so effective as a tight end.
“He’s not a one-trick pony,” Gannon said. “He’s really good in the run game, and then he’s a guy that — I talk about receivers, and I think it’s worth mentioning for a tight end — he’s a three-level guy. He can beat you [on the] first level, second level, and third level.
“Then in my opinion, where I think he’s really elite is with the ball in his hands. He’s got a knack for knowing when to cover the ball up, when to stiff arm, when to hurdle guys, when to cut back, when to lower his shoulder and when to split two. He’s a tough tackle and he’s fast. He plays with really good balance and really good control. He is a big guy, so he is hard to bring down, but he’s pair that with those other athletic traits and he is a big-time weapon.”
In the last three games, McBride’s caught 22 passes on 26 targets for 271 yards. While he does not have a touchdown yet this season, it seems like just a matter of time before Kyler Murray finds him for a score.
The Cardinals activated rookie defensive lineman Darius Robinson from injured reserve Monday, according to the NFL’s transactions.
“We’ll take it day by day with him and just keep working with him every day and hopefully improving every day and see where it goes,” coach Jonathan Gannon told Arizona Sports on his radio spot Monday.
The Cardinals had an open roster spot, so no corresponding move was necessary.
Robinson returned to practice Oct. 9, forcing the Cardinals to make a move to get him back on the 53-player roster by Wednesday.
The first-round pick injured his calf in an Aug. 22 practice and landed on injured reserve the following week. He also has been dealing with the death of his mother.
His return will provide the Cardinals with a boost in their defensive line. They have lost starters Bilal Nichols and Justin Jones for the year, and Roy Lopez, Khyiris Tonga and Naquan Jones all have dealt with injury issues this season.
The Cardinals took a bit to get going in Sunday’s matchup with the Dolphins. But Arizona outscored Miami 21-14 in the second half to come away with a 28-27 victory.
Down 13-7 at halftime and then 20-10 midway through the third quarter, Arizona’s comeback started with a Miami offensive blunder. A snap got away from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa deep in Dolphins territory and the ball squirted out of the end zone for a safety.
On the ensuing drive, quarterback Kyler Murray contacted with Marvin Harrison for a 22-yard touchdown. But James Conner could not get in the end zone for a two-point conversion, keeping the score at 20-18.
Raheem Mostert expanded Miami’s lead back to 27-18 with his 6-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. But Conner finished Arizona’s next drive with a 2-yard touchdown Chad Ryland’s extra point made it 27-25, Dolphins.
The Dolphins punted only twice on Sunday, but the second time was critical as it ended a chance to keep possession midway through the fourth quarter.
Arizona did not give the ball back, driving all the way down to Miami’s 16 to put Chad Ryland in position for a 34-yard field goal. Arizona took its final timeout with one second left and Ryland put it through the uprights for a game-winning score.
Murray finished the game 26-of-36 for 307 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Tight end Trey McBride led with nine catches for 124 yards. Receiver Marvin Harrison had six catches for 111 yards with a touchdown.
Arizona spoiled Tagovailoa’s return, as he finished 28-of-38 for 234 yards with one touchdown. The Cardinals did a solid job of containing Tyreek Hill, as he had six catches for 72 yards. Jaylen Waddle had four receptions for 45 yards.
With the win, the Cardinals are in the thick of things in the NFC West at 4-4. They will host the Bears next Sunday.
For the Dolphins, things are slipping away at 2-5. They will be on the road to play the Bills in Week 9.
The Dolphins have moved the ball well against the Cardinals in Tua Tagovailoa’s return. And with a field goal on a two-minute drive, the Dolphins have a 13-7 lead at halftime.
Tagovailoa finished the first half 19-of-25 for 162 yards. Five of those completions have gone to receiver Tyreek Hill, who has 69 yards.
Miami has 214 yards, 13 first downs, and is 7-of-10 on third down. But things have stalled in Arizona territory, as the club has had to settle for a 53-yard field goal and a 25-yard field goal.
Raheem Mostert had Miami’s opening score, running it in for a 1-yard touchdown to cap the club’s opening drive.
On the other side, Kyler Murray is 8-of-14 for 79 yards with a touchdown — a 6-yard pass to Michael Wilson early in the second quarter.
Marvin Harrison has two catches for 33 yards so far.
Dolphins safety Jevon Holland is questionable to return with a knee injury. He has also been dealing with a hand injury that had previously sidelined him.
The Cardinals will receive the second-half kickoff.
The Dolphins are off to a hot start in quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s return.
Miami scored with a 1-yard touchdown by Raheem Mostert, giving the club an early 7-0 lead.
Tagovailoa’s first pass was a 16-yard completion on a swing pass to fullback Alec Ingold, moving the chains. Tagovailoa also completed a 13-yard pass to Tyreek Hill on third-and-9 in Arizona territory to keep the drive alive.
The Dolphins nearly lost possession twice with fumbles. Tagovailoa was strip-sacked when he was trying to climb the pocket on first-and-10 from the Arizona 37, but the Dolphins recovered.
Then Tagovailoa hit Julian Hill with a shovel pass inside the 10-yard line, which the tight end fumbled when the ball was punched out. But again, Miami was able to fall on the ball to keep the drive alive.
A play later, Mostert was in the end zone to give Miami an early advantage.
