The game looked as good as dead once Kyler Murray was flushed from the pocket with time ticking down. But then the Cardinals quarterback evaded the pass rusher, stopped his scramble, looked down field and unleashed a rocket — nothing more than a prayer, a hopeful heave.
Yet Deandre Hopkins came down with it.
With three defenders in the area, Hopkins jumped highest, pulling down the 43-yard bomb to give Arizona a 32-30 win over the Buffalo Bills. It was the last turn in a topsy-turvy game that included a 14-point third-quarter lead for the Bills before Murray and the Cardinals stormed back with 19 unanswered points.
After Arizona grabbed a three-point lead late in the third quarter, Bills quarterback Josh Allen led what seemed to be the game-winning drive. His team marched 78 yards down the field over 12 plays. Allen repeatedly found Cole Beasley — who finished with a team-high 109 yards — to move the chains.
And then he threw a near-perfect ball to Stefon Diggs, leading to a diving catch in the corner of the end zone and a four-point lead for Buffalo’s defense to protect with 34 seconds remaining.
That’s when Murray made magic happen. He completed the first pass of the drive for 14 yards, then found Hopkins for 9 yards. They moved into Buffalo territory on another 9-yard completion, this time to Larry Fitzgerald.
That set up the deciding play with 11 seconds left. Murray felt the pressure, escaped to his left and brushed off a would-be sack. He hardly set his feet before he launched his pass toward Hopkins in the end zone. Somehow, Hopkins pulled it in to give Arizona the win, one of his seven catches for 127 yards.
DEANDRE HOPKINS CATCHES THE HAIL MARY FOR THE WIN! 🚨
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 16, 2020
(@AZCardinals)pic.twitter.com/6YoDckellc
With the win, Arizona stays in a three-game tie atop the NFC West, sitting at 6-3 with the Rams and Seahawks. And with Buffalo’s loss, Miami stays within reaching distance in the AFC East, one game back of the 7-3 Bills.
• Andy Kostka can be reached at akostka@washingtontimes.com.
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