Bryce Young knocked the Arizona Cardinals out of the playoffs on Sunday afternoon.
Young led the Carolina Panthers past the Cardinals late to take a 36-30 overtime win at Bank of America Stadium. That, along with the Los Angeles Rams’ 19–9 win over the New York Jets, officially eliminated the Cardinals from the postseason race. The Cardinals have now missed the playoffs for three straight seasons, and that has only happened once in the last nine campaigns.
The Panthers jumped out to a 20-3 lead in the second quarter after Young scored twice in the period. First he broke open for a 23-yard touchdown run of his own, and then he hit Adam Thielen for an 8-yard touchdown grab on their next drive.
Although the Cardinals cut the game to just a field goal before halftime with a pair of touchdowns of their own, Young sealed the deal midway through the fourth quarter. He found David Moore and threw the perfect ball into the corner of the end zone for his third touchdown of the day.
That gave Carolina two more possessions and nearly gave them their fourth win of the season in regulation. However, Kyler Murray had a 20-yard score of his own later in the fourth quarter, and then he put the Cardinals in position to make a 58-yard field goal as time expired to force overtime. Chuba Hubbard finally sealed the deal late in the extra period with a 21-yard touchdown through two broken tackles, giving Carolina the six-point victory.
It was their first win since an overtime victory over the New York Giants in Germany in early November.
Young finished 17 of 26 for 158 yards with two touchdowns for the Panthers. Hubbard had 152 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries, and Thielen had 43 yards and a touchdown on five catches. The Panthers have already been eliminated from the postseason. They haven’t been to the play-offs since the 2017 campaign.
Murray went 20 of 32 for 202 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He had another 63 rushing yards and a touchdown on eight carries. James Conner led the team with 117 rushing yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, and with another 49 yards on four catches. He left the match early with a knee injury.
The Cardinals appeared to be on track to make the playoffs, either by winning the NFC West or earning a wild card spot early this season. However, the team has now lost four of their last five games – including two to the Seattle Seahawks – and dropped out of the division race entirely.
Although the Cardinals showed signs of a team that could hold its own, Murray couldn’t get the job done in the long run. They will have to wait until next season to have a chance at victory, which would be their first play-off victory in a full decade.
