In a season that began with such promise and optimism, the Arizona Cardinals saw their playoff aspirations come to a heartbreaking end in a 36-30 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. The defeat, coupled with the Los Angeles Rams’ victory over the New York Jets, officially eliminated the Cardinals from postseason contention, rendering their final two games meaningless in the grand scheme of their once-lofty goals.
From First to Worst: Cardinals’ Second-Half Swoon
It was a stunning fall from grace for a Cardinals team that sat atop the NFC West just six weeks ago. Since their Week 11 bye, Arizona has managed just one win in five games, plummeting down the standings in a crowded conference playoff picture. Sunday’s loss was a microcosm of their recent struggles, as they fell behind 20-3 early and could never quite recover, despite a valiant fourth-quarter comeback to force overtime.
Murray: “We Put Ourselves in This Mess”
Quarterback Kyler Murray, who nearly rallied the Cardinals to an improbable win with a game-tying touchdown pass as regulation expired, shouldered much of the blame for the team’s disappointing finish. “We put ourselves in the mess we’re in, and we got to find a way to finish it the right way,” Murray said in a somber postgame press conference. “Going forward we got to control what we can control and that’s us coming to work every day playing the game of football, playing the game that we love and going out there and trying to win.”
When you come up close like that, man, we’re sick because we knew we could have came out with it, and, just, things didn’t go our way. So, we’re pretty beat up right now.
L.J. Collier, Cardinals defensive lineman
Gannon Takes Responsibility, Looks Ahead
For head coach Jonathan Gannon, the elimination was a bitter pill to swallow in his first year at the helm. “I know they’re down,” Gannon said of his players. “Ultimately, when you reflect on it, we haven’t done enough, you know what I mean? And it starts with me. So, we win together, we lose together. Everyone had their hand in how this season has went and why we are where we are and it starts with me.”
Still, Gannon tried to strike an optimistic tone about the future and how the team would respond to this adversity. “It’s a learning process, you know what I mean?” Gannon added. “And we got to take good hard looks in the mirror and improve and get better.”
Hubbard Seals Cardinals’ Fate in OT
In the end, it was Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard who drove the final nail into Arizona’s coffin. After the Cardinals went nowhere on their opening drive of overtime, Hubbard ripped off back-to-back runs of 28 and 21 yards, the latter a walk-off touchdown to seal a 36-30 Carolina victory. Hubbard finished with 152 yards on the ground, making a mockery of the Cardinals’ goal to keep him under 100.
Uncertainties Cloud Cardinals’ Offseason Outlook
Now the Cardinals find themselves facing an offseason of questions and soul-searching far earlier than they anticipated. Will Gannon’s philosophies take hold in year two? Can Murray continue his development into a franchise quarterback? And what roster changes are in store for a team that entered the year with Super Bowl aspirations only to collapse down the stretch?
Those are the uncomfortable realities the Cardinals must now confront after letting a once-promising season slip away in the Queen City. The healing process begins immediately with a short-week road trip to face the division rival Rams on Christmas Eve. Pride and professionalism will have to serve as motivation now that their postseason dreams are dashed.
We’re not going to give up, we’re not going to waver. We’re not going to go out there and lay down if that’s what everybody’s expecting because that’s not us.
L.J. Collier
The Cardinals have no choice but to pick up the pieces and play out the string on a lost 2024 season. How they respond these final two weeks could offer a glimpse into the character and resolve of this team as they head into an offseason of uncertainty. The road to redemption begins now, even if it’s too little, too late to save their once-high hopes for this ill-fated campaign.
