Brad Cesmat
49-15, Carolina crushed the Cardinals…Carson Palmers magical season went “poof” in the NFC Championship game. All the big plays and great moments over the previous 17 weeks aren’t going to be talked about in the offseason. To say that Palmer wasn’t good in the biggest game of the season would be the same as saying it only gets a little warm here in the summer. 4 interceptions and just 235 yards don’t even begin to tell how inept the Cardinal passing offense was on Sunday night. I could take the easy route and give all the credit to Carolina, but that would be letting the Cardinals off the hook. Not happening…
A few other thoughts from the game…
Cam Newton has a ton a talent around him(10 Panthers are going to the Pro Bowl). He played very well. I could do without all the sideshow stuff. 
It was hard to watch Ted Ginn Jr.(who did NOTHING in Arizona in 2014) play a key role for the Panthers. He had a 32-yard punt return, 22-yard TD run and even chased down Patrick Peterson to prevent a touchdown.
But it all goes back to Carson Palmers poor showing, not just against Carolina, but over the final part of 2015. It’s very fair to wonder if finding his eventual replacement will be at the top of the teams offseason shopping list. Can Palmer come back from a beat down like this? That will be the most talked about storyline around the Cardinals over the coming months.
