Arizona Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland ended up winning the game on Sunday, making a 42-yard field goal in overtime to beat the Dallas Cowboys 33-30. It was his second game-winning kick of the year.
However, he made two critical mistakes at the end of regulation.
The first we all remember. Gardner Minhew threw a 13-yard touchdown pass, his third of the quarter, to Michael Wilson with six seconds left in regulation to tie the game 30-30. The extra point would have given the Cardinals the lead. Ryland missed the extra point. It was his first missed PAT of the season.
But that wasn't all. On the ensuing kickoff, he booted it into the end zone, taking no time off the clock, giving the Cowboys a couple of shots at getting into field-goal range for Brandon
Aubrey, arguably the best kicker in football. Keeping the kickoff in play might have run the clock off.
Head coach Mike LaFleur was asked about the kickoff on Monday and revealed that it was Ryland's mistake, although he didn't name his kicker.
“We didn’t want to do that," LaFleur said. "We wanted to keep that one in play, so that was that. We have to execute that better.”
Ryland's overtime field goal redeemed him from those two huge mistakes. It probably kept him from being replaced this week.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Cardinals K Chad Ryland made 2 critical mistakes vs. Cowboys
