Carson Palmer struggled mightily against the Panthers’ defense Sunday.
Carson Palmer played an NFC Championship Game to forget Sunday.
Vying for a Super Bowl berth for the first time in his career, Palmer struggled mightily, turning the ball over to Carolina over and over again en route to a 49-15 loss.
The quarterback’s first giveaway came in the second quarter, when he fumbled while the Cardinals trailed 17–0.
Palmer was bit by the fumble bug for a second time later in the quarter, losing control of a pass and giving the Panthers the ball deep in Arizona territory.
Three plays later, right after a Cam Newton interception, Palmer committed perhaps his worst turnover of the game, throwing an interception to Kurt Coleman in the end zone after Arizona had a chance to go into halftime with a manageable deficit.
Now losing by 19, Palmer was again picked off by Coleman on a deep pass to the one-yard line.
By the fourth quarter, Palmer’s turnovers grew comical. First, he threw an interception to Luke Kuechly, who returned the ball 21 yards for a touchdown.
Then two plays later, Palmer was picked by Tre Boston.
Palmer committed six turnovers by himself, while Arizona committed seven as a team. The seven giveaways by the Cardinals were the most in a playoff game since 2001.
As a result, the Panthers are headed to their second Super Bowl in franchise history.
