1994 Arizona Cardinals season

The 1994 Arizona Cardinals season was the franchise's 75th season with the National Football League (NFL), the seventh season in Arizona and the first season as the "Arizona Cardinals". Buddy Ryan became the 32nd head coach in Cardinals history. After being given a large share of the credit for the success of the Houston Oilers in 1993, Ryan was named head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 1994. Also named general manager of the Cardinals, Ryan went 8–8 his first year, the Cardinals’ first non-losing season since 1984.

1994 Arizona Cardinals season
Owner	Bill Bidwill
Head coach	Buddy Ryan
Home stadium	Sun Devil Stadium
Results
Record	8–8
Division place	3rd NFC East
Playoffs	Did not qualify
Pro Bowlers	LB Seth Joyner FS Aeneas Williams
← 1993 (Phoenix) Cardinals seasons 1995 →

The Cardinals finished the season ranked third in the NFL in total defense, although it allowed only two fewer points in 1994 than they had in 1993. An anemic offense, one which saw three quarterbacks start at least one game, held the team back. Arizona scored 89 points fewer in 1994 than it did in 1993, and it finished with a minus-32-point differential after finishing at plus-57 in 1993.

Arizona lost its first two games by a combined five points, then were shut out 32–0 by the Cleveland Browns. The Cardinals recovered to enter the final week of the season with a shot at the playoffs, but those hopes were ended by a 10–6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

Offseason

NFL Draft

Main article: 1994 NFL Draft

1994 Arizona Cardinals draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	10	Jamir Miller *	Linebacker	UCLA
2	38	Chuck Levy	Running back	Arizona
3	76	Rich Braham	Center	West Virginia
3	89	Eric England	Defensive end	Texas A&M
4	107	Perry Carter	Defensive back	Southern Miss
4	113	John Reece	Defensive back	Nebraska
4	115	Terry Irving	Linebacker	McNeese State
5	139	Anthony Redmon	Guard	Auburn
6	172	Terry Samuels	Tight end	Kentucky
7	204	Frank Harvey	Running back	Georgia
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

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Personnel

Staff

1994 Arizona Cardinals staff

Front office President – Bill Bidwill Vice president – Larry Wilson Assistant general manager – Bob Ackles Director of college scouting – Bo Bolinger Head coaches Head coach/general manager – Buddy Ryan Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Dave Atkins Quarterbacks – Matt Cavanaugh Receivers/tight ends – Ted Plumb Offensive line – Dan Neal Offensive line assistant – Guy Morriss Quality control – George Martinez

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Ronnie Jones Defensive line – Rex Ryan Linebackers – Ted Cottrell Defensive backs – Rob Ryan Special teams coaches Special teams – Al Roberts Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – Bob Rogucki

Roster

1994 Arizona Cardinals roster

Quarterbacks (QB)  7 Steve Beuerlein  9 Jim McMahon 11 Jay Schroeder Running backs (RB) 37 Larry Centers FB 23 Garrison Hearst 22 Mark Higgs  4 Chuck Levy 30 Ronald Moore Wide receivers (WR) 84 Gary Clark 81 Randal Hill 18 Kevin Knox 87 Ricky Proehl 80 Bryan Reeves 82 Patrick Robinson Tight ends (TE) 86 Chad Fann 89 Terry Samuels

Offensive linemen (OL) 74 Brian Bollinger G 62 Ben Coleman T 59 Ed Cunningham C 67 Rick Cunningham T 65 Ernest Dye G 60 Anthony Redmon G 68 Joe Wolf T 71 Mark Tucker G 69 Mark Vander Poel T Defensive linemen (DL) 63 Michael Bankston DE 73 Sebastian Barrie DE 92 Eric England DE 91 Wendall Gaines DT 97 Bryan Hooks DE 90 Keith McCants DE 96 Clyde Simmons DE 98 Eric Swann DT 94 Bernard Wilson DT

Linebackers (LB) 54 Darryl Hardy 58 Eric Hill MLB 56 Terry Irving OLB 53 Garth Jax MLB 59 Seth Joyner OLB 55 Wilber Marshall OLB 50 David Merritt OLB 95 Jamir Miller OLB Defensive backs (DB) 46 Brent Alexander FS 31 Odie Harris FS 34 Terry Hoage FS 29 Lorenzo Lynch SS 27 Chris Oldham CB 20 Andre Waters SS 35 Aeneas Williams CB 21 James Williams CB Special teams (ST)  5 Greg Davis K 10 Jeff Feagles P 57 Randy Kirk LS

Practice squad 49 Eric Gant FB 39 Brian Henesey RB 53 active, 5 inactive, 2 practice squad Reserve 83 Anthony Edwards WR (IR) 93 Kenny Lopez DE (IR) 67 Luis Sharpe T (IR) -- Willy Tate WR (IR) 48 Sean Wallace S (IR) Rookies in italics

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 4	at Los Angeles Rams	L 12–14	0–1	Anaheim Stadium	32,969
2	September 11	New York Giants	L 17–20	0–2	Sun Devil Stadium	60,066
3	September 18	at Cleveland Browns	L 0–32	0–3	Cleveland Municipal Stadium	62,818
4	Bye
5	October 2	Minnesota Vikings	W 17–7	1–3	Sun Devil Stadium	67,950
6	October 9	at Dallas Cowboys	L 3–38	1–4	Texas Stadium	64,518
7	October 16	at Washington Redskins	W 19–16 (OT)	2–4	RFK Stadium	50,019
8	October 23	Dallas Cowboys	L 21–28	2–5	Sun Devil Stadium	71,023
9	October 30	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 20–17 (OT)	3–5	Sun Devil Stadium	65,690
10	November 6	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 7–17	3–6	Veterans Stadium	64,952
11	November 13	at New York Giants	W 10–9	4–6	Giants Stadium	71,719
12	November 20	Philadelphia Eagles	W 12–6	5–6	Sun Devil Stadium	62,779
13	November 27	Chicago Bears	L 16–19 (OT)	5–7	Sun Devil Stadium	65,922
14	December 4	at Houston Oilers	W 30–12	6–7	Houston Astrodome	39,821
15	December 11	Washington Redskins	W 17–15	7–7	Sun Devil Stadium	53,790
16	December 18	Cincinnati Bengals	W 28–7	8–7	Sun Devil Stadium	50,110
17	December 24	at Atlanta Falcons	L 6–10	8–8	Georgia Dome	35,311
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1

1 2 3 4 Total Cardinals 0 6 6 0 12 • Rams 7 0 7 0 14 Date: September 18 Location: Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California Game start: 1:00 p.m. PDT Game attendance: 32,969 Game weather: 70 °F (21.1 °C); humidity 77%; wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn) Referee: Bernie Kukar TV announcers (FOX): Kenny Albert and Ron Pitts

Scoring summary Q1 2:31 RAM Todd Lyght 74-yard fumble return (Tony Zendejas kick) RAM 7–0 Q2 4:33 ARI Greg Davis 37-yard field goal RAM 7–3 Q2 11:52 ARI Greg Davis 34-yard field goal RAM 7–6 Q2 6:07 RAM Jerome Bettis 1 yard rush (Tony Zendejas kick) RAM 14–6 Q4 12:56 ARI Larry Centers 3-yard pass from Steve Beuerlein (pass failed) RAM 14–12

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Week 2

1 2 3 4 Total • Giants 6 14 0 0 20 Cardinals 3 7 0 7 17 Date: September 11 Location: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona Game start: 5:00 p.m. MST Game attendance: 60,066 Game weather: 87 °F (30.6 °C); humidity 45%; wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn) Referee: Jerry Markbreit TV announcers (TNT): Gary Bender, Pat Haden, and Kevin Kiley

Scoring summary Q1 2:55 NYG Howard Cross 1 yard pass from Dave Brown NYG 7–0 Q1 13:02 ARI Greg Davis 21-yard field goal NYG 7–3 Q2 0:06 ARI Fred McAfee 2-yard rush (Greg Davis kick) ARI 10–7 Q2 6:07 NYG Rodney Hampton 3-yard rush (David Treadwell kick) NYG 14–10 Q2 15:01 NYG Howard Cross 1 yard pass from Dave Brown (David Treadwell kick) NYG 20–10 Q4 5:02 ARI Ronald Moore 2-yard pass from Jim McMahon (Greg Davis kick) NYG 20–17

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Week 3

1 2 3 4 Total Cardinals 0 0 0 0 0 • Browns 0 3 15 14 32 Date: September 18 Location: Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio Game start: 1:00 p.m. EDT Game attendance: 62,818 Game weather: 65 °F (18.3 °C); humidity 62%; wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn) Referee: Dale Hamer TV announcers (FOX): Kenny Albert and Ron Pitts

Scoring summary Q2 2:31 CLE Matt Stover 32-yard field goal CLE 3–0 Q3 4:33 CLE Vinny Testaverde 1 yard rush (Matt Stover kick) CLE 10–0 Q3 11:52 CLE Tommy Vardell 16-yard pass from Vinny Testaverde (Tom Tupa run) CLE 18–0 Q4 6:07 CLE Derrick Alexander 81-yard pass from Vinny Testaverde (Matt Stover kick) CLE 25–0 Q4 12:56 CLE Eric Turner 93-yard interception return (Matt Stover kick) CLE 32–0

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Week 5

1 2 3 4 Total Vikings 0 7 0 0 7 • Cardinals 7 0 0 10 17 Date: October 2 Location: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona Game start: 4:00 p.m. MST Game attendance: 67,950 Game weather: 80 °F (26.7 °C); humidity 26%; wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn) Referee: Dick Hantak TV announcers (FOX): Thom Brennaman and Anthony Muñoz

Scoring summary Q1 9:21 ARI Derek Ware 4-yard pass from Jay Schroeder (Greg Davis kick) ARI 7–0 Q2 5:15 MIN Jake Reed 15-yard pass from Warren Moon (Fuad Reveiz kick) 7–7 Q4 2:20 ARI Greg Davis 46-yard field goal ARI 10–7 Q4 6:50 ARI Larry Centers 6-yard rush (Greg Davis kick) ARI 17–7

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Week 6

1 2 3 4 Total Cardinals 0 0 3 0 3 • Cowboys 21 7 10 0 38 Date: October 9 Location: Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas Game start: 3:00 p.m. CDT Game attendance: 64,518 Game weather: 61 °F (16.1 °C); wind 14 miles per hour (23 km/h; 12 kn) Referee: Howard Roe TV announcers (FOX): Pat Summerall and John Madden

Scoring summary Q1 7:35 DAL Daryl Johnston 2-yard pass from Troy Aikman (Chris Boniol kick) DAL 7–0 Q1 10:40 DAL Emmitt Smith 3-yard rush (Chris Boniol kick) DAL 14–0 Q1 14:18 DAL Emmitt Smith 1 yard rush (Chris Boniol kick) DAL 21–0 Q2 6:20 DAL Michael Irvin 12-yard pass from Troy Aikman (Chris Boniol kick) DAL 28–0 Q3 6:50 DAL Chris Boniol 19-yard field goal DAL 31–0 Q3 8:01 ARI Greg Davis 42-yard field goal DAL 31–3 Q3 8:10 DAL Kevin Williams 87-yard kickoff return (Chris Boniol kick) DAL 38–3

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Week 7

1 2 3 4 OT Total • Cardinals 0 3 0 13 3 19 Redskins 0 14 0 2 0 16 Date: October 16 Location: Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C. Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 50,019 Game weather: 57 °F (13.9 °C); wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn) Referee: Gary Lane TV announcers (FOX): Thom Brennaman and Anthony Muñoz

Scoring summary Q2 1:43 WAS Brian Mitchell 46-yard pass from Heath Shuler (Chip Lohmiller kick) WAS 7–0 Q2 13:27 WAS Darrell Green 27-yard interception return (Chip Lohmiller kick) WAS 14–0 Q2 13:42 ARI Todd Peterson 35-yard field goal WAS 14–3 Q4 4:58 ARI Ronald Moore 10-yard rush (run failed) WAS 14–9 Q4 5:50 WAS Safety, Jeff Feagles stepped out of end zone WAS 16–9 Q4 10:00 ARI Ricky Proehl 5-yard pass from Steve Beuerlein (Todd Peterson kick) 16–16 OT 5:45 ARI Todd Peterson 29-yard field goal ARI 19–16

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Week 8

1 2 3 4 Total • Cowboys 7 7 0 14 28 Cardinals 0 14 0 7 21 Date: October 23 Location: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona Game start: 1:00 p.m. MST Game attendance: 71,023 Game weather: 73 °F (22.8 °C); wind 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h; 4.3 kn) Referee: Red Cashion TV announcers (FOX): Pat Summerall and John Madden

Scoring summary Q1 4:30 DAL Alvin Harper 15-yard pass from Troy Aikman (Chris Boniol kick) DAL 7–0 Q2 1:00 ARI Steve Beuerlein 1 yard rush (Todd Peterson kick) 7–7 Q2 12:59 ARI Ronald Moore 4-yard rush (Todd Peterson kick) ARI 14–7 Q2 14:02 DAL Michael Irvin 5-yard pass from Rodney Peete (Chris Boniol kick) 14–14 Q4 3:38 ARI Ricky Proehl 9-yard pass from Steve Beuerlein (Todd Peterson kick) ARI 21–14 Q4 5:08 DAL Michael Irvin 65-yard pass from Rodney Peete (Chris Boniol kick) 21–21 Q4 9:10 DAL Emmitt Smith 6-yard rush (Chris Boniol kick) DAL 28–21

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Week 9

1 2 3 4 OT Total Steelers 0 14 0 3 0 17 • Cardinals 7 10 0 0 3 20 Date: October 30 Location: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona Game start: 6:00 p.m. MST Game weather: 73 °F (22.8 °C); wind 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h; 3.5 kn) Referee: Ron Blum TV announcers (TNT): Gary Bender, Pat Haden, and Kevin Kiley

Scoring summary Q1 11:05 ARI Larry Centers 4-yard rush (Greg Davis kick) ARI 7–0 Q2 3:02 PIT Bam Morris 11-yard rush (Gary Anderson kick) 7–7 Q2 11:40 ARI Greg Davis 20-yard field goal ARI 10–7 Q2 12:00 PIT Yancey Thigpen 60-yard pass from Neil O'Donnell (Gary Anderson kick) PIT 14–10 Q2 14:18 ARI Ronald Moore 1 yard rush (Greg Davis kick) ARI 17–14 Q4 14:19 PIT Gary Anderson 23-yard field goal 17–17 QOT ARI Greg Davis 51-yard field goal ARI 20–17

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Week 10

1 2 3 4 Total Cardinals 0 0 0 7 7 • Eagles 0 3 14 0 17 Date: November 6 Location: Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST Game weather: 63 °F (17.2 °C); wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn) Referee: Tom White TV announcers (FOX): Dick Stockton and Matt Millen

Scoring summary Q2 14:47 PHI Eddie Murray 36-yard field goal PHI 3–0 Q3 3:35 PHI Fred Barnett 47-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Eddie Murray kick) PHI 10–0 Q3 9:43 PHI Fred Barnett 50-yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Eddie Murray kick) PHI 17–0 Q4 14:39 ARI Ricky Proehl 5-yard pass from Steve Beuerlein (Greg Davis kick) PHI 17–7

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Week 11

1 2 3 4 Total • Cardinals 0 0 3 7 10 Giants 7 2 0 0 9 Date: November 13 Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey Game start: 1:00 p.m. Game weather: 52 °F (11.1 °C); wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn) Referee: Bob McElwee TV announcers (FOX): Joe Buck and Tim Green

Scoring summary Q1 NYG Aaron Pierce 4-yard pass from Kent Graham (David Treadwell kick) NYG 7–0 Q2 NYG Holding penalty on Cardinals in end zone NYG 9–0 Q3 ARI Greg Davis 45-yard field goal NYG 9–3 Q4 ARI Bryan Reeves 9-yard pass from Steve Beuerlein (Greg Davis kick) ARI 10–9

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Week 12

1 2 3 4 Total Eagles 0 3 0 3 6 • Cardinals 3 3 3 3 12 Date: November 20 Location: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona Game start: 4:00 p.m. Game weather: 45 °F (7.2 °C); wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn) Referee: Dale Hamer TV announcers (FOX): Dick Stockton and Matt Millen

Scoring summary Q1 ARI Davis 24-yard field goal ARI 3–0 Q2 ARI Davis 24-yard field goal ARI 6–0 Q2 PHI Murray 26-yard field goal ARI 6–3 Q3 ARI Davis 24-yard field goal ARI9–3 Q4 PHI Murray 30-yard field goal ARI9–6 Q4 ARI Davis 39-yard field goal ARI12–6

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Week 13

1 2 3 4 OT Total • Bears 7 3 6 0 3 19 Cardinals 0 3 3 10 0 16 Date: November 27 Location: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona Game start: 4:00 p.m. Game weather: 51 °F (10.6 °C); wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn) Referee: Gerald Austin TV announcers (FOX): Kevin Harlan and Jerry Glanville

Scoring summary Q1 CHI Ryan Wetnight 2-yard pass from Steve Walsh (Kevin Butler kick) CHI 7–0 Q2 ARI Greg Davis 49-yard field goal CHI 7–3 Q2 CHI Kevin Butler 35-yard field goal CHI 10–3 Q3 CHI Kevin Butler 52-yard field goal CHI 13–3 Q3 ARI Greg Davis 22-yard field goal CHI 13–6 Q3 CHI Kevin Butler 31-yard field goal CHI 16–6 Q4 ARI Keith McCants 46-yard interception return (Greg Davis kick) CHI 16–13 Q4 ARI Greg Davis 47-yard field goal 16–16 OT CHI Kevin Butler 27-yard field goal CHI 19–16

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Week 14

1 2 3 4 Total • Cardinals 0 10 0 20 30 Oilers 9 3 0 0 12 Date: December 4 Location: Astrodome, Houston, Texas Game start: 3:00 p.m. CST Game attendance: 39,821 Game weather: played indoors, domed stadium Referee: Red Cashion TV announcers (FOX): Thom Brennaman and Anthony Muñoz

Scoring summary Q1 9:33 HOU Safety, Lamar Lathon tackled Jay Schroeder in end zone HOU 2–0 Q1 11:50 HOU Cris Dishman 36-yard interception return (Al Del Greco kick) HOU 9–0 Q2 2:59 ARI Larry Centers 1 yard rush (Greg Davis kick) HOU 9–7 Q2 10:45 ARI Greg Davis 25-yard field goal ARI 10–9 Q2 13:42 HOU Al Del Greco 34-yard field goal HOU 12–10 Q4 2:57 ARI Gary Clark 13-yard pass from Jay Schroeder (Ronald Moore run) ARI 18–12 Q4 ARI Greg Davis 23-yard field goal ARI 21–12 Q4 ARI Larry Centers 4-yard rush (Greg Davis kick) ARI 28–12 Q4 ARI Safety, Eric Swann tackled Billy Joe Tolliver in end zone ARI 30–12

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This ninth successive defeat for the Oilers has the unusual distinction of being the most recent NFL game as of 2017 during which both teams scored a safety, and one of only eight since at least 1940.^[15]

Week 15

1 2 3 4 Total Redskins 3 3 0 9 15 • Cardinals 7 0 0 10 17 Date: December 11 Location: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona Game start: 2:00 p.m. MST Game weather: 52 °F (11.1 °C); wind 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h; 3.5 kn) Referee: Ron Blum TV announcers (FOX): Kenny Albert and Ron Pitts

Scoring summary Q1 ARI Proehl 48-yard pass from Schroeder (Davis kick) ARI 7–0 Q1 WSH Chip Lohmiller 34-yard field goal ARI 7–3 Q2 WSH Chip Lohmiller 31-yard field goal ARI 7–6 Q4 ARI Moore 1 yard run (Davis kick) ARI 14–6 Q4 WSH Ellard 52-yard pass from Shuler (kick failed) ARI 14–12 Q4 WSH Lohmiller 21-yard field goal WSH 15–14 Q4 ARI Davis 27-yard field goal ARI 17–15

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Week 16

1 2 3 4 Total Bengals 0 0 7 0 7 • Cardinals 14 7 0 7 28 Date: December 18 Location: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona Game start: 2:00 p.m. MST Game weather: 58 °F (14.4 °C); wind 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h; 4.3 kn) Referee: Howard Roe TV announcers (NBC): Dan Hicks and Bob Golic

Scoring summary Q1 3:29 ARI Garrison Hearst 1 yard rush (Greg Davis kick) ARI 7–0 Q1 4:59 ARI Larry Centers 10-yard pass from Garrison Hearst (Greg Davis kick) ARI 14–0 Q2 0:10 ARI Ricky Proehl 15-yard pass from Jay Schroeder (Greg Davis kick) ARI 21–0 Q3 4:23 CIN Carl Pickens 4-yard pass from Jeff Blake (Doug Pelfrey kick) ARI 21–7 Q4 ARI Larry Centers 10-yard rush (Greg Davis kick) ARI 28–7

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Week 17

1 2 3 4 Total Cardinals 0 3 0 3 6 • Falcons 7 0 3 0 10 Date: December 24 Location: Georgia Dome, Atlanta Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 35,311 Game weather: played indoors, domed stadium Referee: Bernie Kukar TV announcers (FOX): Dick Stockton and Matt Millen

Scoring summary Q1 8:32 ATL Bert Emanuel 85-yard pass from Jeff George (Norm Johnson kick) ATL 7–0 Q2 7:51 ARI Greg Davis 22-yard field goal ATL 7–3 Q3 13:58 ATL Norm Johnson 24-yard field goal ATL 10–3 Q4 6:40 ARI Greg Davis 49-yard field goal ATL 10–6

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Standings

NFC East
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
(2) Dallas Cowboys	12	4	0	.750	414	248	L1
New York Giants	9	7	0	.563	279	305	W6
Arizona Cardinals	8	8	0	.500	235	267	L1
Philadelphia Eagles	7	9	0	.438	308	308	L7
Washington Redskins	3	13	0	.188	320	412	W1

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Awards and records

• Aeneas Williams, NFL Leader, Interceptions (9)^[20]