The Cardinals forced overtime after trailing by 17 points in the first half against the Panthers on Sunday, but couldn’t get it back in overtime.

After forcing a Carolina punt, the Cardinals took control of their own 10-yard line and converted a fourth down from their 19-yard line to keep their drive alive. By then, however, they had used both timeouts and had to endure a delay of game that resulted in a third-and-10 to keep the offense on the field. Panthers linebacker Josey Jewell sacked Kyler Murray to force a punt that gave the Panthers the ball at their 34-yard line, but an ineligible player penalty downfield forced another kick.

The Panthers landed at the Cardinals’ 49-yard line and running back Chuba Hubbard put them in field goal range with a 28-yard run. However, they didn’t have to settle for just the kick. Hubbard ran 21 yards for a touchdown on the next play, and the 36-30 victory officially eliminated the Cardinals from playoff contention.

It was fitting that a penalty helped seal the deal for Arizona, as they committed 11 of them over the course of Sunday’s game. This helped the Panthers take a 20-3 lead in the first half and the Cardinals had to play from behind for the rest of the day. Trailing 30-27 in the fourth quarter, they had a chance to take the lead, but Murray was picked off by safety Demani Richardson with just over three minutes to play.

Murray recovered somewhat by leading a drive for Chad Ryland’s game-winning field goal after a Panthers punt, but it will be a disappointing result for a Cardinals team that led the division with a 6-4 record after 10 weeks . They have now lost four of their last five games and have missed the postseason three years in a row.

The Panthers will also miss the postseason, but they can feel good about Bryce Young’s response after his bench move earlier in the season. Young threw two touchdowns and ran for another on Sunday to continue the resurgence of his career that began when Andy Dalton was knocked out because of a thumb injury sustained in a car accident midway through the season.

Carolina will have another chance to play spoilsport in the final two weeks as both the Buccaneers and Falcons still have playoff aspirations. More performances like Sunday’s for Young and Hubbard – 165 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns – will make that outcome more likely.