Emmitt Smith set an NFL record in the game by scoring his 25th touchdown of the season, breaking Washington's John Riggins' mark of 24 set in 1983.
Smith's touchdown came on a 3-yard run with 5:49 remaining, to put Dallas ahead 34-13.
The Cardinals finished with four straight losses, tying expansion Jacksonville for 28th in the NFL in scoring and Tampa Bay for 29th in touchdowns.
Even those numbers were deceiving, because the defense scored six of Arizona's 26 TDs, along with posting an NFL-best 42 takeaways.
"It was just the record; 4-12 is unacceptable,'' Bidwill said. "I like Buddy, and I think my relationship with Buddy has been friendly and above-board, and I truly regretted having to do this.''
Ryan's style -- marked by his claiming "You've got a winner in town,'' when he arrived -- alienated some people but endeared him to most of his players.
Ryan declined to comment on his ouster.
Meanwhile, rookie coach Ray Rhodes' Philadelphia Eagles made it to the playoffs, earning him 1995 coach of the year honors.
Rhodes, defensive coordinator for the Super Bowl champion 49ers last year, was hired after Philadelphia owner Jeff Lurie was turned down by former Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson and former Eagles coach Dick Vermeil.
But Rhodes, 45, crafted a disjointed team that lost its final seven games in 1994 into a 10-6 playoff squad.
That earned Rhodes 24 votes from a panel of sports writers and broadcasters in balloting by The Associated Press. He edged Dom Capers of Carolina and Marty Schottenheimer of Kansas City, who had 21 apiece.
"I'm not a guy who's big on personal achievements -- anybody who knows me knows that,'' Rhodes said Tuesday. "Really, this award is a reflection on this organization for making the commitment to get this thing pointed in the right direction.''
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