How Cardinals Collapsed in Unacceptable Loss to Panthers

The Arizona Cardinals didn't show up in Charlotte on Sunday.

Dec 22, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) is grabbed by Carolina Panthers linebacker D.J. Wonnum (98) during the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Arizona Cardinals lost 36-30 to the Carolina Panthers in a road overtime defeat, and as a result, the Cardinals are now eliminated from the playoffs.

There is zero excuse to lose to a 3-11 team, regardless of injury, situation, or any other factor. This was a poor showing by all facets of the Cardinals, who were clearly unprepared to play for their season against one of the NFL's worst squads.

Here's what went wrong in an absolutely, undeniably, inexcusably horrific loss:

Offense

Don't let those 30 points fool you, Arizona's offense was completely stagnant once running back James Conner left with an injury. Conner put up 166 yards and a touchdown, most of which came in the first half alone. That was Arizona's only true bright spot, as has so often been the case.

The plays calls were inconsistent, once again failing to take advantage of a porous defense through the air. Trey McBride was almost a non-factor, Marvin Harrison Jr. failed to make an impact, and Kyler Murray, outside of a flashy touchdown run, was a major component of the loss.

Murray completed 20 of 29 passes, for 202 yards, a touchdown, and an interception that all but sealed the game for Carolina. While the 27-year-old quarterback wasn't exactly a detriment to his team in the early going, Murray came unraveled late in the fourth quarter.

After picking up a gritty rushing touchdown to bring the score to 30-27, and getting the ball back. Arizona had prime field position to take a late lead.

Murray, on a second down play, scrambled confusedly to his right, then heaved an underthrown and ill-attempted pass that was intercepted. McBride was open for the first down, in the same line of sight as Murray's intended receiver in Michael Wilson.

It wasn't the only issue with his game, or the offense. Murray threw an immense number of quick, short, unproductive passes. Maybe those weren't all on him, but he failed to extend plays when needed. Regardless, the play-calling was once again an issue, and Arizona's wideouts once again failed to find much opportunity.

Harrison didn't turn around for a pass that should have been a touchdown in the end zone early on, leading to a field goal. He failed to come away with two passes he should have caught in overtime. He finished with just four receptions for 39 yards.

The Cardinals also turned the ball over deep in their own territory on a poor exchange between Murray and running back Michael Carter. They found ways to hinder themselves at every corner. In overtime, they ran seven plays for a net of -6 yards, a completely and utterly unacceptable showing.

Sure, there were plenty of injuries. Heading into the game already down Paris Johnson Jr., Mack Wilson and Trey Benson, the Cardinals lost both Conner and OL Jonah Williams to injury. That's the reality of football, and when facing a 3-11 team, there is no allowance for those circumstances.

If Murray, Petzing, Harrison and the rest can't find a way to even come away with a field goal in overtime, that is an indictment on all of them simultaneously. Harrison, as I've written, still has the rookie pass, for now, but that will need to change quickly next season.

Murray was poor when it mattered the most, but his play-calling was poor, his offensive line didn't hold up, and the Cardinals' offense couldn't function without Conner, once again.

Defense

Arizona's defense, which has been their ride-or-die in recent weeks, was exceptionally poor at the worst possible time. They allowed 380 yards of total offense, and 33 points. Panthers quarterback Bryce Young threw for just 158 yards, but tossed two touchdowns, and scrambled for a third.

Cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting had a poor showing, allowing chunk yardage and a touchdown in coverage.

While Arizona did record three official sacks, it was for a mere nine yards, and one of which was a force out of bounds. The pressure as a whole remained inconsistent, and the defense failed to defend the run at a drastic rate.

Carolina rushed for 243 yards and three scores. They managed 6.8 yards per carry. That simply isn't good enough to win NFL games, and the Cardinals' defensive line couldn't handle a Panthers offensive line that were, themselves, riddled with injury.

Penalties

The Cardinals came into Sunday's game as the least-penalized team in the NFL. That's an impressive feat, and should be recognized as a testament to Jonathan Gannon and his staff. With that said, Arizona played exceptionally undisciplined football on Sunday.

The officiating was certainly less than perfect, however. There were a handful of game-changing penalties against the Cardinals that were borderline at best. But Arizona was still dinged for 11 penalties and 82 yards, nine of which came in the first half.

To their credit, they cleaned up the act in the second half. But it was already too late. Though the Cardinals did overcome a 20-3 deficit to send the game to overtime, there were plenty of points left on the board by their offense, and points handed out by their defense that came as a result of penalties and lack of discipline.

The Cardinals' season is now officially relegated to playing spoiler to the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers. With the team looking morally and mentally defeated, seven wins might just be the ceiling in 2024.