Bryce Young knocked the Arizona Cardinals out of the playoffs on Sunday afternoon.
Chuba Hubbard’s 21-yard walk-off touchdown run gave the Carolina Panthers a 36-30 overtime victory 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 seasons.
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 got the Panthers back to a two-score lead early in the fourth quarter. He found David Moore and threw a perfect ball into the corner of the end zone for his third touchdown of the day.
But the Cardinals fought back. Kyler Murray scored his own 20-yard score 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. Hubbard finally sealed the deal late in the extra period with a TD run off two broken tackles, giving Carolina the six-point victory.
It was the Panthers’ first victory 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 (4-11) 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 its past five games – including two to the Seattle Seahawks – and is out of contention.
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 for a chance at what would be their first play-off win in a full decade.
