Palmer’s collapse opens floodgates

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carson Palmer couldn’t hold on to the football against a relentless defense, causing one of the NFL’s best offenses to sputter.

And his defense couldn’t come up with the hard-hitting stops needed to salvage any momentum.

The Arizona Cardinals picked a terrible time — on the road in the NFC Championship Game, no less — to have a mistake-filled performance.

Palmer had six of the Cardinals’ seven turnovers; the defense had a couple of key missed tackles that led to big plays in the Carolina Panthers’ 4915 win Sunday night, sending the Panthers to their second Super Bowl and ending what had been the Cardinals’ winningest season with a thud.

“This is as low as you can feel,” Palmer said. “You put so much in and you come in here with such high expectations, and to leave the way we’re leaving just hurts.”

Palmer threw four interceptions and was stripped for a pair of fumbles; All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson fumbled a punt return in the first half. And many of those miscues helped Carolina roll to a 24-7 halftime lead with an outcome that was never in doubt.

This wasn’t what anyone could have expected from the Cardinals, whose 13 regular-season wins allowed them to dethrone the two-time NFC champion Seattle Seahawks as NFC West champions.

Arizona, the NFC’s No. 2 seed behind Carolina, entered the playoffs as maybe the most complete team in the league statistically. The Cardinals had the league’s No. 2 scoring offense (30.6 points) and top total of- fense (408.3 yards); the defense ranked in the top 10 in scoring (19.6) and total defense (321.7).

That group never showed up in Charlotte.

Palmer was 23-for-40 for 235 yards with one TD, throwing a late pick-six to Luke Kuechly as the game turned into a rout.

And for the second straight year, Arizona’s season ended in a doubledigit loss at Carolina.

“If you’re not putting a ring on your finger, if that confetti isn’t falling on your head, it’s a bad year,” Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said. “You have to look back and see a lot of positive things. To win 14 games, to win a playoff game, to be here in the championship game, those are all positive things.

“But we’re not about that.

“We’re about winning a championship.”