Cardinals are still in a tough spot to make the playoffs, but postseason hopes remain after win

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona's long shot playoff hopes got a bit of a lift thanks to the game results Sunday.

The Cardinals took care of business against the hapless New England Patriots, winning 30-17 in an uneven, but solid performance. Perhaps even more importantly, the Green Bay Packers knocked off the Seahawks 30-13 to bring Seattle back to the pack in the NFC West.

The Los Angeles Rams (8-6) and Seahawks (8-6) are now one game ahead of the Cardinals (7-7) for the division lead with the San Francisco 49ers (6-8) right behind.

The Cardinals are still in a tough spot because the Seahawks have the potential tiebreaker after sweeping the season series, but there's more hope than there was just a few days ago.

“They know that everything they do matters right now,” Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said. "They've got to display winning behavior, they've got to practice well, play well, and they have a chance.

“I think they're taking to that right now.”

The Cardinals beat the Patriots with a solid all-around performance. Kyler Murray completed 23 of 30 passes for 224 yards, James Conner ran for 110 yards and two TDs and the defense played well despite losing two starting linebackers to injury during the first quarter.

“I thought it was efficient," Murray said. “I didn’t think it was unbelievable, but I thought it was efficient. I think the defense did a great job today, they really had our backs.”

Conner continued his fantastic season with another big game. It was his fifth 100-yard outing and it looks as though he'll easily be a 1,000-yard rusher for the second straight season. The 29-year-old was recently signed to a two-year extension through 2026. Running backs usually slow down in their 30s, but Conner seems as if he's getting better with age.

Conner's 53-yard run was vital during the Cardinals' first touchdown drive Sunday.

“He can really do it all,” Gannon said. “He can run wide zone, inside zone, gap schemes, he can do it from the gun, from under, from pistol. He doesn't do any of those bad. And then his style of running, he's a premier player.”

The Cardinals struggled to get into the end zone a little on Sunday, settling for three field goals from Chad Ryland. That was fine against the Patriots, who aren't playing particularly well. But if Arizona hopes to win its last three games and sneak into the playoffs, some of those field goals need to turn into TDs.

WR Greg Dortch has been lost in the shuffle a little this season, but the 5-foot-7 receiver made a handful of nice plays Sunday and finished with three catches for 60 yards. Even one of his mistakes came out OK — he fumbled into the end zone, but right tackle Jonah Williams was there to jump on the ball for a touchdown.

“It’s hard to put a price tag on G," Murray said. "The nuance that he brings. The feel that he has for the game. I don’t think anybody can make anybody miss in a phone booth like he can. You just give him the ball, he calls himself the chain-mover for a reason. When the ball gets in G’s hands, good stuff usually happens.”

WR Marvin Harrison Jr. was paired against Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez for much of the game in an elite matchup. Gonzalez got the best of Harrison on a pair of balls into the end zone, knocking the ball away before a catch could be made. They would have been very tough catches and weren't perfectly thrown balls, but if Harrison's going to be one of the game's top receivers, he probably needs to make at least one of those grabs.

The Cardinals are thin at linebacker after Mack Wilson Sr. (concussion) and Jesse Luketa (thigh) were knocked out of the Patriots' game early in the first quarter. Gannon didn't have updates on either player, but said the team will adjust if needed.

“Anybody who is up on gameday, we feel good about,” Gannon said.

17.9 — That's the average amount of points the Cardinals have allowed in their last eight games. It ranks second in the NFL over that span, trailing only Philadelphia.

The Cardinals have another good opportunity to pick up a win Sunday when they travel to face the Carolina Panthers, who are 3-11.

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New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (0) breaks up a pass intended for Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray watches from the sidelines against the New England Patriots during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Arizona Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland (38) celebrates his field goal wit hpunter Michael Palardy (10) during the first half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Greg Dortch (4) runs as New England Patriots cornerback Alex Austin (28) defends during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon watches during the second half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner celebrates his touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

GUANARE, Venezuela (AP) — Freedom came too late for Edilson Torres.

The police officer was buried Tuesday in his humble, rural hometown following his death in a Venezuelan prison, where he was held incommunicado since being detained in December on what his family said were politically motivated accusations.

Torres, 51, died of a heart attack Saturday, just as his family awaited the government's promised release of prisoners following the U.S. capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro. The loss left his family reeling.

Now scores of families — who once hesitated to approach advocacy groups — are coming forward to register their loved ones as “political prisoners" in the hope that they might have a more optimistic future than Torres.

Foro Penal, which tracks and advocates for Venezuelan prisoners, has received a “flood of messages” from families since last week, said Alfredo Romero, director of the nongovernmental organization.

“They didn’t report it out of fear, and now they’re doing it because, in a way, they feel that there is this possibility that their families will be freed,” Romero said. “They see it as hope, but more importantly, as an opportunity.”

The head of Venezuela’s national assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, said last week that a “significant number” of Venezuelan and foreigners imprisoned in the country would be released as a gesture to “seek peace” following the operation that captured Maduro in the early hours of Jan. 3. The U.S. and Venezuela's opposition have long demanded the widespread release of detained opposition figures, activists and journalists, whom they claim are used as a political tool by the ruling party.

Venezuela’s government denies that there are prisoners unjustly detained, accusing them of plotting to destabilize Maduro’s government.

Following Torres' death, Venezuela's Attorney General Tarek William Saab said in a statement that the case had been assigned to a terrorism unit and “was linked to criminal activities detected by state security agencies.” He did not offer any details, but the vague language tracks with past accusations leveled against real or perceived government critics.

Romero said that of the roughly 300 families who reached out to Foro Penal, about 100 cases so far have been confirmed as politically motivated. Most of those reported over the past few days, he said, once worked for Venezuela's military. That is on top of more than 800 people that the organization says continue to be detained for political reasons in Venezuela.

As of Tuesday evening, Foro Penal had confirmed 56 prisoners it said were detained for political reasons had been freed. The group criticized the lack of government transparency over the releases. Venezuela’s government negated the organization's count, and reported a far higher figure of 400 Tuesday afternoon.

But the government did not provide evidence of the releases, a time range in which they were carried out nor identify those freed, making it impossible to determine whether those freed were behind bars for political or other reasons.

Before Torres' funeral on Tuesday, a procession of cars and motorcycles stopped at a local jail, where his wife remains detained on disputed accusations.

“My little brother, my little brother,” Emelyn Torres said between sobs after his casket, cloaked in Venezuela's flag, arrived at her home for the wake. A few feet away, their grandmother nearly fainted as dozens of people crammed into the living room to pay their respects.

Hours earlier, as a minivan transported the body of her brother 267 miles (430 kilometers) from the capital, Caracas, to Guanare, Torres learned that other men linked to the WhatsApp group that led to her brother's arrest had just been released from prison. She wailed.

Among those who have been released are: human rights attorney Rocío San Miguel, who immediately relocated to Spain; Biagio Pilieri, an opposition leader who was part of Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado’s 2024 presidential campaign; and Enrique Márquez, a former electoral authority and presidential candidate.

Italian businessman Marco Burlò, who was released from prison Monday, told reporters outside a Rome airport Tuesday that he was kept isolated throughout his detention, which he characterized as a “pure and real kidnapping.”

“I can’t say that I was physically abused, but without being able to talk to our children, without the right to defense, without being able to speak to the lawyer, completely isolated, here they thought that I might have died,” he said.

The small set of releases over the past few days continues to fuel criticisms by families, human rights watchdogs at the United Nations and U.S. politicians, who have accused the government of not following through on their word of a wider release.

But the rapid political shifts in the Latin American nation and the distant possibility of release simultaneously marked a rare moment of hope for many families who have spent years wondering if their loved ones would ever be freed.

Part of the reason that Romero said he believed so many people had not come forward is the government's ongoing crackdown on dissent since Venezuela's tumultuous 2024 election, which Maduro claimed to have won despite ample credible evidence to the contrary.

As mass street protests broke out, authorities said they detained more than 2,000 people. In the month after July elections, Venezuela's government passed a law — dubbed the “anti-NGO law” by critics — making it easier for the government to criminalize human rights groups.

That had a chilling effect, Romero said, making families hesitant to come forward — until now.

Janetsky reported from Mexico City.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Relatives of political prisoners gather at the Central University of Venezuela to call for their release in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Jacklin Ibarreto, whose father Miguel Ibarreto is detained, lays out photos of political prisoners at the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Members of a motorcycle club, friends of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being arrested on accusations of treason, carry his coffin at a cemetery in Guanare, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Relatives stand by the coffin of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being arrested on accusations of treason, in Guanare, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026.. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Relatives of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being arrested on accusations of treason, gather around his grave during his funeral in Guanare, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Students lay out photos of people they consider political prisoners at the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Jacklin Ibarreto, whose father Miguel Ibarreto is detained, waits outside the Rodeo I prison in Guatire, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, after National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said the government would release Venezuelan and foreign prisoners. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Relatives and friends of political prisoners hold candles calling for their loved ones to be set free outside the Rodeo I prison in Guatire, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 after the government announced prisoners would be released. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Relatives stand beside the coffin during the wake of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being arrested on accusations of treason, in Guanare, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

El Helicoide, the headquarters of Venezuela's intelligence service and detention center, stands in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, after National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said the government would release Venezuelan and foreign prisoners. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Students lay out photos of people they consider political prisoners at the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Flor Zambrano, whose son, Rene Chourio, she says is detained at Zone 7 of the Bolivarian National Police for political reasons, embraces relatives of other detainees outside the facility in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A photo of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being arrested on accusations of treason, and his family adorns his coffin during his wake at his home in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Relatives of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being arrested on accusations of treason, sit by his coffin during his wake in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Emelyn Torres leans over the casket of her brother, Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being detained on accusations of treason, during his wake at his home in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Emelyn Torres and Maria Cristina Fernandez, the sister and grandmother of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison after being detained on accusations of treason, embrace during his wake at his home in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)