Chuba Hubbard ran 21 yards for an overtime touchdown and Bryce Young threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the Carolina Panthers ended the Arizona Cardinals’ playoff prospects by winning their home finale 36-30 on Sunday afternoon in Charlotte.
Hubbard, who had a 28-yard run on the play prior to his winning rush, compiled 152 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries as the Panthers (4-11) halted a four-game losing streak.
Young was 17-for-26 for 158 yards in the air and gained 68 yards on five rushing attempts.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray was 20-for-32 for 202 yards with a touchdown and an interception as Arizona (7-8) was eliminated from playoff consideration.
James Conner gained 117 rushing yards on 15 carries before leaving with a knee injury and Chad Ryland booted three field goals, including a tying 58-yarder on the last play of regulation.
Arizona converted a fourth-and-2 from its own 18 in overtime, but then went backward and ended up punting from its own 4-yard line. Carolina won it two plays later.
Young’s second touchdown throw of the game went for 18 yards to David Moore, so Carolina held a 30-20 edge with 12:04 to play. That marked the most points for the Panthers with Young at quarterback in either of his two seasons.
Arizona used more than five minutes on the ensuing possession, scoring on Murray’s 20-yard run with 6:56 remaining.
The Cardinals got the ball back with 4:52 left following a Carolina punt. Three plays later after reaching Panthers territory, Demani Richardson intercepted Murray. It was the rookie’s first pick.
But Arizona got the ball back after a punt and moved 35 yards to set up Ryland’s third field goal.
Hubbard’s 4-yard run provided the game’s first points as Carolina completed a 15-play drive that lasted almost eight minutes in the first quarter.
Only Ryland’s 48-yard field goal gave Arizona much hope across the first seven minutes of the second quarter.
Young ran for a 23-yard touchdown on a drive that included a career-long 34-yard run. Less than four minutes later, following an Arizona fumble, Young tossed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Adam Thielen. The Panthers converted off the turnover by needing to go only 30 yards.
Trailing 20-3, the Cardinals went 70 yards in four plays with Conner scoring on a 6-yard run. They closed within 20-17 with Murray’s 1-yard flip to DeeJay Dallas with seven seconds to play in the first half.
Eddy Pineiro’s 29-yard field goal and Ryland’s 30-yarder in the third quarter kept the margin at three points entering the fourth.
Conner eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season.
–Field Level Media