Miami Dolphins defeat Dallas Cowboys 22-20, head to the playoffs after nail biter at Hard Rock Stadium
MIAMI -- The Miami Dolphins had something to prove but so did the Dallas Cowboys.
In the end, however, the Dolphins came up with the winning formula, handing the Cowboys a 22-20 loss during a Christmas Eve thriller at Hard Rock Stadium.
Both teams, each at 10-4, entered Sunday as the league's top two scoring offenses, but it was the defense that took the spotlight in the first 30 minutes with Miami taking a 13-7 lead into halftime.
Jason Sanders field goal
Jason Sanders kicked his fifth field goal of the game, a 29-yarder as time expired, securing a playoff berth for the Dolphins.
Tua Tagovailoa threw for 293 yards and a touchdown for the AFC East-leading Dolphins (11-4), who beat a team with a winning record for the first time this season. He connected with Tyreek Hill twice on the decisive drive, which covered 64 yards and took the final 3:27 off the clock.
Hill, who leads the NFL in receiving yards, had nine catches for 99 yards after missing last week's victory over the New York Jets with an ankle injury.
Dak Prescott went 20 of 32 for 253 yards and two touchdowns for the Cowboys (10-5), who have already clinched a playoff spot but fell a half-game behind Philadelphia in the NFC East.
Prescott put the Dallas in front 20-19 with an 8-yard touchdown pass to a leaping Brandin Cooks in the corner of the end zone.
Dallas Cowboys struggle with turnovers
But the Cowboys were haunted by their red-zone struggles earlier in the game, including a fumble by Prescott on first-and-goal from inside the 1 on Dallas' first possession.
Sanders' first field goal was a career-long 57-yarder in the first quarter. He added kicks of 52, 54 and 35 yards to help the Dolphins take a 19-10 lead late in the third.
Prescott rallied the Cowboys with some dynamic play making. On the go-ahead drive, he completed a pass to Michael Gallup as Miami linebacker Duke Riley was pulling him to the ground at the 21.
After Miami safety DeShon Elliott was flagged for defensive holding in the end zone on fourth-and-goal, Prescott got the ball to Cooks, who hauled in the ball over over All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
CeeDee Lamb caught six passes for 118 yards for the Cowboys, including a 49-yard score in the first quarter.
Raheem Mostert scored his NFL-leading 21st touchdown of the season on a grab from Tagovailoa just before halftime. The 31-year-old, who was undrafted out of Purdue in 2015 and bounced around the league earlier in his career, had 46 yards rushing Sunday to put him over 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. He's the Dolphins' first 1,000-yard rusher since Jay Ajayi in 2016.
