2014 Arizona Cardinals season

The 2014 season was the Arizona Cardinals' 95th in the National Football League (NFL), their 27th in Arizona and their second under head coach Bruce Arians. Following an explosive 9–1 start to the regular season, they finished at 11–5, achieving their highest win total since 1975 when they were still in St. Louis (also their highest total in a 16-game season). The Cardinals clinched their first playoff berth since 2009, and had a chance to become the first team to play the Super Bowl on their own home field, University of Phoenix Stadium. However, after season-ending injuries to Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton, they were forced to start third-string quarterback Ryan Lindley in the wild-card round, losing to the Carolina Panthers, 27–16, which was the first time since 1982 when they were in St. Louis that the Cardinals went one-and-done.

2014 Arizona Cardinals season
Owner	Bill Bidwill
General manager	Steve Keim
Head coach	Bruce Arians
Home stadium	University of Phoenix Stadium
Results
Record	11–5
Division place	2nd NFC West
Playoffs	Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Panthers) 16–27
Pro Bowlers	Justin Bethel, ST Calais Campbell, DE Antonio Cromartie, CB Patrick Peterson, CB
Uniform
← 2013 Cardinals seasons 2015 →

Draft

Main article: 2014 NFL draft

2014 Arizona Cardinals draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	27	Deone Bucannon	S	Washington St	Pick from NO
2	52	Troy Niklas	TE	Notre Dame
3	84	Kareem Martin	DE	North Carolina
3	91	John Brown	WR	Pittsburg St	Pick from NO
4	120	Logan Thomas	QB	Virginia Tech
5	160	Ed Stinson	DE	Alabama
6	196	Walt Powell	WR	Murray St
Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

• Note: The Cardinals traded their original first-round selection (No. 20 overall) to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for the Saints' first- (No. 27 overall) and third- (No. 91 overall) round selections.

Staff

2014 Arizona Cardinals staff

Front office Owner/chairman – Bill Bidwill President – Michael Bidwill general manager – Steve Keim Vice president of player personnel – Terry McDonough Director of college scouting – Dru Grigson Director of pro scouting – Quentin Harris Head coaches Head coach – Bruce Arians Assistant head coach/offense – Tom Moore Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator/offensive line – Harold Goodwin Quarterbacks – Freddie Kitchens Running backs – Stump Mitchell Wide receivers – Darryl Drake Tight ends – Rick Christophel Assistant tight ends/assistant special teams – Steve Heiden Assistant offensive line – Larry Zierlein Offensive assistant – David Diaz-Infante Offensive quality control – Kevin Garver

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Todd Bowles Defensive line – Brentson Buckner Outside linebackers – James Bettcher Inside linebackers – Mike Caldwell Defensive backs – Nick Rapone Cornerbacks – Kevin Ross Defensive assistant/assistant defensive backs – Ryan Slowik Pass rush specialist – Tom Pratt Special teams coaches Special teams coordinator – Amos Jones Assistant special teams – Anthony Blevins Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – Buddy Morris Assistant strength and conditioning – Pete Alosi Assistant strength and conditioning – Roger Kingdom

Final roster

2014 Arizona Cardinals roster

Quarterbacks (QB) 14 Ryan Lindley  5 Drew Stanton  6 Logan Thomas Running backs (RB) 23 Marion Grice 39 Robert Hughes FB 30 Stepfan Taylor 33 Kerwynn Williams Wide receivers (WR) 13 Jaron Brown 12 John Brown 11 Larry Fitzgerald 15 Michael Floyd 19 Ted Ginn Jr. RS 10 Brittan Golden Tight ends (TE) 89 John Carlson 85 Darren Fells 84 Rob Housler

Offensive linemen (OL) 61 Jonathan Cooper G 74 Paul Fanaika G 62 Ted Larsen G 70 Bobby Massie T 63 Lyle Sendlein C 79 Bradley Sowell T 71 Anthony Steen G 68 Jared Veldheer T 78 Earl Watford G Defensive linemen (DL) 93 Calais Campbell DE 95 Tommy Kelly 96 Kareem Martin DE 73 Josh Mauro DE 98 Frostee Rucker DE 66 Alameda Ta'amu NT 92 Dan Williams NT

Linebackers (LB) 94 Sam Acho OLB 97 Lorenzo Alexander OLB 59 Marcus Benard OLB 56 Glenn Carson ILB 54 Kenny Demens ILB 50 Larry Foote ILB 51 Kevin Minter ILB 57 Alex Okafor OLB 91 Matt Shaughnessy OLB Defensive backs (DB) 28 Justin Bethel CB 36 Deone Bucannon SS 29 Chris Clemons SS 31 Antonio Cromartie CB 22 Tony Jefferson SS 26 Rashad Johnson FS 32 Tyrann Mathieu S 21 Patrick Peterson CB 25 Jerraud Powers CB Special teams (ST)  2 Drew Butler P  7 Chandler Catanzaro K 82 Mike Leach LS

Practice squad 34 Zach Bauman RB 75 John Fullington G 80 Andre Hardy Jr. TE 17 Travis Harvey WR 46 Jimmy Legree CB  4 Jeff Mathews QB 69 Kelvin Palmer T 86 Ryan Spadola WR 37 Ross Weaver CB 27 Darren Woodard CB Reserve 55 John Abraham OLB (IR) 90 Darnell Dockett DE (IR) 20 Jonathan Dwyer RB (NF-Inj.) 38 Andre Ellington RB (IR) 87 Troy Niklas TE (IR)  3 Carson Palmer QB (IR) 72 Ed Stinson DE (IR) 58 Daryl Washington ILB (Susp.) 41 Eddie Whitley CB (IR)  9 Dave Zastudil P (IR) Rookies in italics 53 active, 10 reserve, 10 practice squad

Preseason

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	August 9	Houston Texans	W 32–0	1–0	University of Phoenix Stadium	Recap
2	August 16	at Minnesota Vikings	L 28–30	1–1	TCF Bank Stadium	Recap
3	August 24	Cincinnati Bengals	L 13–19	1–2	University of Phoenix Stadium	Recap
4	August 28	at San Diego Chargers	L 9–12	1–3	Qualcomm Stadium	Recap

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	September 8	San Diego Chargers	W 18–17	1–0	University of Phoenix Stadium	Recap
2	September 14	at New York Giants	W 25–14	2–0	MetLife Stadium	Recap
3	September 21	San Francisco 49ers	W 23–14	3–0	University of Phoenix Stadium	Recap
4	Bye
5	October 5	at Denver Broncos	L 20–41	3–1	Sports Authority Field at Mile High	Recap
6	October 12	Washington Redskins	W 30–20	4–1	University of Phoenix Stadium	Recap
7	October 19	at Oakland Raiders	W 24–13	5–1	O.co Coliseum	Recap
8	October 26	Philadelphia Eagles	W 24–20	6–1	University of Phoenix Stadium	Recap
9	November 2	at Dallas Cowboys	W 28–17	7–1	AT&T Stadium	Recap
10	November 9	St. Louis Rams	W 31–14	8–1	University of Phoenix Stadium	Recap
11	November 16	Detroit Lions	W 14–6	9–1	University of Phoenix Stadium	Recap
12	November 23	at Seattle Seahawks	L 3–19	9–2	CenturyLink Field	Recap
13	November 30	at Atlanta Falcons	L 18–29	9–3	Georgia Dome	Recap
14	December 7	Kansas City Chiefs	W 17–14	10–3	University of Phoenix Stadium	Recap
15	December 11	at St. Louis Rams	W 12–6	11–3	Edward Jones Dome	Recap
16	December 21	Seattle Seahawks	L 6–35	11–4	University of Phoenix Stadium	Recap
17	December 28	at San Francisco 49ers	L 17–20	11–5	Levi's Stadium	Recap

Game summaries

Regular season

Week 1: vs. San Diego Chargers

Week One: San Diego Chargers at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	0	3	14	0	17
Cardinals	0	6	0	12	18

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

• Date: September 8
• Game time: 7:20 p.m.
• Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
• Game attendance: 61,292
• Referee: Bill Vinovich
• TV announcers (ESPN): Chris Berman, Trent Dilfer and Lindsay Czarniak
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers SD – Philip Rivers - 21/36, 238 Yds, 1 TD, 1 INT ARI – Carson Palmer - 24/37, 304 Yds, 2 TD Top rushers SD – Ryan Matthews - 12 Car, 40 Yds, 1 TD ARI – Andre Ellington - 13 Car, 53 Yds Top receivers SD – Antonio Gates - 6 Rec, 81 Yds ARI – Michael Floyd - 5 Rec, 119 Yds Top tacklers SD – Shareece Wright - 8 Solo ARI – Larry Foote - 8 Solo

Week 2: at New York Giants

Week Two: Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	10	0	0	15	25
Giants	0	7	7	0	14

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

• Date: September 14
• Game time: 1:00 pm. EDT/10:00 a.m.
• Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C), sunny
• Game attendance: 78,344
• Referee: John Parry
• TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers ARI – Drew Stanton, 14/29, 167 Yds NYG – Eli Manning, 26/39, 277 Yds, 2 TD, 2 INT Top rushers ARI – Andre Ellington, 15 Car, 91 Yds NYG – Rashad Jennings, 18 Car, 64 Yds Top receivers ARI – Larry Fitzgerald, 6 Rec, 51 Yds NYG – Larry Donnell, 7 Rec, 81 Yds Top tacklers ARI – Calais Campbell, 10 solo NYG – Prince Amukamara, 9 solo

Week 3: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week Three: San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	7	7	0	0	14
Cardinals	3	3	14	3	23

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

• Date: September 21
• Game time: 1:05 p.m.
• Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
• Game attendance: 61,572
• Referee: Gene Steratore
• TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, David Diehl and Laura Okmin
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers SF – Colin Kaepernick, 29/37, 245 Yds, 1 TD ARI – Drew Stanton, 18/33, 244 Yds, 2 TD Top rushers SF – Colin Kaepernick, 12 Car, 54 Yds ARI – Andre Ellington, 18 Car, 62 Yds Top receivers SF – Stevie Johnson, 9 Rec, 103 Yds ARI – Michael Floyd, 5 Rec, 114 Yds Top tacklers SF – Patrick Willis, 6 Solo ARI – Tony Jefferson, 10 Solo

Week 5: at Denver Broncos

Week Five: Arizona Cardinals at Denver Broncos – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	6	7	7	0	20
Broncos	7	14	3	17	41

at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

• Date: October 5
• Game time: 2:05 pm. MDT/1:05 p.m.
• Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C), sunny
• Game attendance: 76,895
• Referee: Bill Leavy
• TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
• Recap, Game book

Game information

First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers ARI – Drew Stanton, 11/26, 118 Yds DEN – Peyton Manning, 31/47, 479 Yds, 4 TD, 2 INT Top rushers ARI – Andre Ellington, 16 Car, 32 Yds, 1 TD DEN – Ronnie Hillman, 15 Car, 64 Yds Top receivers ARI – Andre Ellington, 4 Rec, 112 Yds, 1 TD DEN – Demaryius Thomas, 8 Rec, 226 Yds, 2 TD Top tacklers ARI – Jerraud Powers, 7 Solo DEN – Danny Trevathan, 7 Solo

Week 6: vs. Washington Redskins

Week Six: Washington Redskins at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	0	13	0	7	20
Cardinals	7	7	3	13	30

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

• Date: October 12
• Game time: 1:25 p.m.
• Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
• Game attendance: 61,139
• Referee: Ed Hochuli
• TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Brady Quinn and Kris Budden
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers WAS – Kirk Cousins, 24/38, 354 Yds, 2 TD, 3 INT ARI – Carson Palmer, 28/44, 250, 2 TD Top rushers WAS – Alfred Morris, 13 Car, 41 Yds ARI – Andre Ellington, 19 Car, 67 Yds Top receivers WAS – DeSean Jackson, 3 Rec, 115 Yds, 1 TD ARI – Larry Fitzgerald, 6 Rec, 98 Yds, 1 TD Top tacklers WAS – Ryan Kerrigan, 9 Solo ARI – Rashad Johnson 8 Solo

Week 7: at Oakland Raiders

Week Seven: Arizona Cardinals at Oakland Raiders – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	7	7	7	3	24
Raiders	0	10	3	0	13

at O.co Coliseum, Oakland, California

• Date: October 19
• Game time: 1:25 p.m.
• Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C), sunny
• Game attendance: 52,101
• Referee: Clete Blakeman
• TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Brady Quinn and Kristina Pink
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers ARI – OAK – Top rushers ARI – OAK – Top receivers ARI – OAK – Top tacklers ARI – OAK –

Week 8: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Week Eight: Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	7	0	10	3	20
Cardinals	0	7	7	10	24

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

• Date: October 26
• Game time: 1:05 p.m.
• Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
• Game attendance: 61,789
• Referee: Walt Anderson
• TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Ronde Barber and Jennifer Hale
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers PHI – ARI – Top rushers PHI – ARI – Top receivers PHI – ARI – Top tacklers PHI – ARI –

Week 9: at Dallas Cowboys

Week Nine: Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	0	14	0	14	28
Cowboys	10	0	0	7	17

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

• Date: November 2
• Game time: 12:00 pm. CST/11:00 a.m. MST
• Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C), cloudy (retractable roof open)
• Game attendance: 85,688
• Referee: Craig Wrolstad
• TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter Top passers ARI – DAL – Top rushers ARI – DAL – Top receivers ARI – DAL – Top tacklers ARI – DAL –

Week 10: vs. St. Louis Rams

Week Ten: St. Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Rams	7	7	0	0	14
Cardinals	0	10	0	21	31

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

• Date: November 9
• Game time: 2:25 pm. MST
• Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
• Game attendance: 61,363
• Referee: Ron Torbert
• TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Ronde Barber, Matt Hasselbeck and Jennifer Hale
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter Top passers STL – ARI – Top rushers STL – ARI – Top receivers STL – ARI – Top tacklers STL – ARI –

Carson Palmer would suffer a season-ending injury on his left-knee. Drew Stanton would take over as quarterback for the rest of the game. Thanks to the efforts of the defense during the fourth quarter, the Cardinals rallied to beat the Rams 31-14.^[1]

Week 11: vs. Detroit Lions

Week Eleven: Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Lions	3	3	0	0	6
Cardinals	14	0	0	0	14

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

• Date: November 16
• Game time: 2:25 pm. MST
• Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
• Game attendance: 62,487
• Referee: Jerome Boger
• TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Ronde Barber and Jennifer Hale
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter No scoring plays Top passers DET – ARI – Top rushers DET – ARI – Top receivers DET – ARI – Top tacklers DET – ARI –

Week 12: at Seattle Seahawks

Week Twelve: Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	0	3	0	0	3
Seahawks	3	6	10	0	19

at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

• Date: November 23
• Game time: 2:05 pm. MST/1:05 pm. PST
• Game weather: 51 °F (11 °C), sunny
• Game attendance: 68,327
• Referee: Gene Steratore
• TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter No scoring plays Top passers ARI – SEA – Top rushers ARI – SEA – Top receivers ARI – SEA – Top tacklers ARI – SEA –

Week 13: at Atlanta Falcons

Week Thirteen: Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	0	10	0	8	18
Falcons	17	3	3	6	29

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: November 30
• Game time: 4:05 pm. EST/2:05 pm. MST
• Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
• Game attendance: 69,557
• Referee: Terry McAulay
• TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers ARI – ATL – Top rushers ARI – ATL – Top receivers ARI – ATL – Top tacklers ARI – ATL –

Week 14: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week Fourteen: Kansas City Chiefs at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chiefs	7	7	0	0	14
Cardinals	3	3	11	0	17

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

• Date: December 7
• Game time: 2:05 pm. MST
• Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
• Game attendance: 62,387
• Referee: Craig Wrolstad
• TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Evan Washburn
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter ARI – Chandler Catanzaro 44-yard field goal, 11:00. Cardinals 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 36 yards, 4:05. KC – Jamaal Charles 63-yard run (Cairo Santos kick), 9:48. Chiefs 7–3. Drive: 3 plays, 78 yards, 1:20. Second quarter ARI – Chandler Catanzaro 33-yard field goal, 7:48. Chiefs 7–6. Drive: 16 plays, 65 yards, 8:07. KC – Jamaal Charles 18-yard pass from Alex Smith (Cairo Santos kick), 1:19. Chiefs 14–6. Drive: 11 plays, 66 yards, 6:31. Third quarter ARI – Chandler Catanzaro 39-yard field goal, 9:07. Chiefs 14–9. Drive: 6 plays, 40 yards, 1:16. ARI – Jaron Brown 26-yard pass from Drew Stanton (Drew Stanton-John Carlson pass), 3:32. Cardinals 17–14. Drive: 5 plays, 42 yards, 2:00. Fourth quarter No scoring plays. Top passers KC – Alex Smith – 26/39, 293 yards, TD, INT ARI – Drew Stanton – 15/30, 239 yards, TD Top rushers KC – Jamaal Charles – 10 rushes, 91 yards, TD ARI – Kerwynn Williams – 19 rushes, 100 yards Top receivers KC – Travis Kelce – 7 receptions, 110 yards ARI – Michael Floyd – 4 receptions, 85 yards Top tacklers KC – Ron Parker – 9 tackles, 1 assist ARI – Patrick Peterson – 8 tackles (1 sack)

Week 15: at St. Louis Rams

Week Fifteen: Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	0	6	3	3	12
Rams	3	0	0	3	6

at Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

• Date: December 11
• Game time: 7:25 pm. CST/6:25 pm. MST
• Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
• Game attendance: 55,880
• Referee: Walt Coleman
• TV announcers (NFLN): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Tracy Wolfson
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers ARI – STL – Top rushers ARI – STL – Top receivers ARI – STL – Top tacklers ARI – STL –

Week 16: vs. Seattle Seahawks

Week Sixteen: Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Seahawks	0	14	0	21	35
Cardinals	0	3	3	0	6

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

• Date: December 21
• Game time: 6:30 pm. MST
• Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
• Game attendance: 63,806
• Referee: Walt Anderson
• TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information
First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers SEA – ARI – Top rushers SEA – ARI – Top receivers SEA – ARI – Top tacklers SEA – ARI –

Week 17: at San Francisco 49ers

Week Seventeen: Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	7	10	0	0	17
49ers	7	6	7	0	20

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

• Date: December 28
• Game time: 2:25 pm. MST/1:25 pm. PST
• Game weather: 51 °F (11 °C), sunny
• Game attendance: 70,699
• Referee: Carl Cheffers
• TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, David Diehl and Laura Okmin
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter No scoring plays Top passers ARI – SF – Top rushers ARI – SF – Top receivers ARI – SF – Top tacklers ARI – SF –

This would snap the 49ers' 4-game losing streak in Levi's Stadium. With the loss, the Cardinals finished their season to 11-5.

Postseason

See also: 2014–15 NFL playoffs

Round	Date	Opponent (seed)	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
Wild Card	January 3, 2015	at Carolina Panthers (4)	L 16–27	0–1	Bank of America Stadium	Recap

NFC Wild Card Playoffs: at #4 Carolina Panthers

NFC Wild Card Playoffs: (#5) Arizona Cardinals at (#4) Carolina Panthers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	0	14	0	2	16
Panthers	10	3	14	0	27

at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

• Date: January 3, 2015
• Game time: 2:35 p.m. MST
• Game weather: 51 °F (11 °C), rain
• Game attendance: 71,849
• Referee: Ed Hochuli
• TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters
• Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter CAR – Graham Gano 47-yard field goal, 11:27. Panthers 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 19 yards, 2:03. CAR – Jonathan Stewart 13-yard run (Graham Gano kick), 5:21. Panthers 10–0. Drive: 8 plays, 57 yards, 3:51. Second quarter ARI – Darren Fells 1-yard pass from Ryan Lindley (Chandler Catanzaro kick), 14:56. Panthers 10–7. Drive: 6 plays, 30 yards, 2:15. ARI – Marion Grice 1-yard run (Chandler Catanzaro kick), 2:50. Cardinals 14–10. Drive: 4 plays, 17 yards, 2:04. CAR – Graham Gano 39-yard field goal, 0:15. Cardinals 14–13. Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards, 2:35. Third quarter CAR – Fozzy Whittaker 39-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 5:36. Panthers 20–14. Drive: 1 play, 39 yards, 0:14. CAR – Mike Tolbert 1-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 4:04. Panthers 27–14. Drive: 3 plays, 3 yard, 1:24. Fourth quarter ARI – Brad Nortman tackled in end zone by Justin Bethel, 0:03. Panthers 27–16. Top passers ARI – Ryan Lindley – 16/28, 82 yards, TD, 2 INT CAR – Cam Newton – 18/32, 198 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers ARI – Kerwynn Williams – 10 carries, 23 yards CAR – Jonathan Stewart – 24 carries, 123 yards, TD Top receivers ARI – John Brown – 4 receptions, 34 yards CAR – Fozzy Whittaker – 1 reception, 39 yards, TD

The Cardinals' offensive performance was historically bad as the team lost to the 7-8-1 Panthers, by a final score of 27-16, and were eliminated from the postseason. They committed three turnovers (two of them being red zone interceptions), gained only 8 first downs (and only 2 first downs in the second half) and recorded 78 net yards of offense, the fewest yards gained in a playoff game by any team in NFL postseason history. After a 9-1 start, the Cardinals went 2-5 in their final seven games. Because both QB Carson Palmer and QB Drew Stanton went down with injuries during regular Season Games. Cardinals were forced to use 3rd string QB Ryan Lindley for the last 2 regular season Games and Lindley had to start for the Cardinals in the Wild Card game at Carolina.

Standings

Division

NFC West
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
(1) Seattle Seahawks	12	4	0	.750	5–1	10–2	394	254	W6
(5) Arizona Cardinals	11	5	0	.688	3–3	8–4	310	299	L2
San Francisco 49ers	8	8	0	.500	2–4	7–5	306	340	W1
St. Louis Rams	6	10	0	.375	2–4	4–8	324	354	L3

Conference

NFC[2] view talk edit
#	Team	Division	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	SOS	SOV	STK
Division leaders
1[a]	Seattle Seahawks	West	12	4	0	.750	5–1	10–2	.525	.513	W6
2[a]	Green Bay Packers	North	12	4	0	.750	5–1	9–3	.482	.440	W2
3[a]	Dallas Cowboys	East	12	4	0	.750	4–2	8–4	.445	.422	W4
4	Carolina Panthers	South	7	8	1	.469	4–2	6–6	.490	.357	W4
Wild Cards
5[b]	Arizona Cardinals	West	11	5	0	.688	3–3	8–4	.523	.477	L2
6[b]	Detroit Lions	North	11	5	0	.688	5–1	9–3	.471	.392	L1
Did not qualify for the postseason
7	Philadelphia Eagles	East	10	6	0	.625	4–2	6–6	.490	.416	W1
8	San Francisco 49ers	West	8	8	0	.500	2–4	7–5	.527	.508	W1
9[c]	New Orleans Saints	South	7	9	0	.438	3–3	6–6	.486	.415	W1
10[c]	Minnesota Vikings	North	7	9	0	.438	1–5	6–6	.475	.308	W1
11[d]	New York Giants	East	6	10	0	.375	2–4	4–8	.512	.323	L1
12[d]	Atlanta Falcons	South	6	10	0	.375	5–1	6–6	.482	.380	L1
13[d]	St. Louis Rams	West	6	10	0	.375	2–4	4–8	.531	.427	L3
14	Chicago Bears	North	5	11	0	.313	1–5	4–8	.529	.338	L5
15	Washington Redskins	East	4	12	0	.250	2–4	2–10	.496	.422	L1
16	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	South	2	14	0	.125	0–6	1–11	.486	.469	L6
Tiebreakers[e]
Seattle, Green Bay and Dallas were ranked in seeds 1–3 based on conference record. Arizona defeated Detroit head-to-head (Week 11, 14–6). New Orleans defeated Minnesota head-to-head (Week 3, 20–9). The NY Giants defeated both Atlanta and St. Louis head-to-head (Atlanta: Week 5, 30–20; St. Louis: Week 16, 37–27), while Atlanta finished ahead of St. Louis based on conference record. When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.