James Conner runs for 2 TDs and Cardinals snap a 3-game skid by beating Patriots 30-17

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Just five plays into Sunday's game, the Arizona Cardinals had lost two starting linebackers to injury.

That's not the way great defensive performances usually begin.

But the Cardinals shook off that rough start with a stellar day of defense, James Conner ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns, and the Arizona Cardinals rolled past the New England Patriots 30-17.

“It's a cool thing for me — roles change like that in the ballgame, but they step up and play good football for us,” Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said. “We've got a lot of versatile guys who can play.”

The win kept the Cardinals (7-7) on the fringe of the playoff hunt and snapped a three-game losing streak.

New England (3-11) has lost four straight.

Arizona right tackle Jonah Williams scored the first touchdown of his NFL career when he fell on a ball that was fumbled into the end zone, giving the Cardinals a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. The veteran lineman was added to the injury report early Sunday because of an illness, but played anyway.

Chad Ryland added field goals from 49, 35 and 40 yards. Kyler Murray completed 23 of 30 passes for 224 yards, while Trey McBride caught nine passes for 87 yards.

The Cardinals were 10 of 15 on third-down conversion, while the Patriots were 0 for 6.

“I think that was the key, staying on schedule,” Murray said. “We're hard to stop when we're staying on the field on third down.”

Conner's 1-yard touchdown run with 10:39 left pushed the Cardinals ahead 23-3. The Patriots responded with their first touchdown of the day: a 3-yard shovel pass from Drake Maye to Demario Douglas, cutting the lead to 23-10.

The Cardinals' defense thrived for most of the afternoon despite the early injuries. Mack Wilson Sr. (concussion) and Jesse Luketa (thigh) were hurt on the fourth and fifth plays of the game, respectively.

New England couldn't take advantage until the fourth quarter after the game was out of reach. Maye completed 19 of 23 passes for 202 yards, one touchdown and an interception. He also ran for a late 5-yard touchdown.

The rookie quarterback acknowledged some frustration because the same mistakes keep happening each week.

“It's a long flight back,” Maye said. “You really can't do nothing else except think about the game, watch the game on your iPad. Think about ways I could maybe, throughout the week, talk to a guy that maybe makes a difference in the game.”

The Patriots finished with 311 total yards, but nearly half came in the final quarter. New England coach Jerod Mayo was confident in his offense early, winning the coin toss and electing to receive to try to get some early points.

But a holding penalty slowed the Patriots' opening drive and eventually forced a punt. It was the first miscue of a mistake-filled performance.

“We're not a good enough football team to be able to go backwards and overcome those long-yardage situations that we've seen all season," Mayo said.

Arizona pushed ahead 16-3 with 9:07 left in the third on Ryland's third field goal, this one from 40 yards. The Patriots moved the ball 66 yards on the ensuing drive, but the Cardinals made two stops at their own 4-yard line to force a turnover on downs.

The Cardinals caught a break late in the third when Murray appeared to throw an interception deep in Arizona's own territory, but New England's Anfernee Jennings was called for roughing the passer after hitting Murray on the helmet while going for the sack.

Murray was evaluated for an injury, but returned to the game.

Williams scored his first NFL touchdown thanks to a fortuitous bounce. Greg Dortch fumbled on a run just short of the goal line, but the right tackle fell on the ball just before it went out the back of the end zone. Conner got the drive started with a 53-yard run.

“That will forever be a teach tape there,” Gannon said, praising Williams' effort. “Because if that goes out of bounds, that's their ball.”

Arizona added a field goal just before halftime for a 13-3 advantage at the break. Maye completed all 10 of his passes in the first half, but they gained a total of just 71 yards.

Injuries

Patriots: OL Cole Strange (knee) was activated from IR this week, but was inactive Sunday. ... LB Christian Ellis (head) left in the fourth quarter.

Cardinals: CB Max Melton (shin) left in the second half but returned. ... RB Trey Benson (ankle) left in the fourth quarter.

Up Next

Patriots: At Buffalo next Sunday.

Cardinals: At Carolina next Sunday.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl