2015 NFC Divisional Playoff vs Panthers

Lore & Background

The 2015 season was the Arizona Cardinals' 96th in the National Football League (NFL), their 117th overall, their 28th in Arizona, their 10th playing home games at University of Phoenix Stadium and their third under head coach Bruce Arians. The Cardinals clinched their first NFC West title since 2009, in addition to a franchise best 13 wins. They also clinched a first round bye for the first time in franchise history. The second-seeded Cardinals began their playoff run by defeating the fifth-seeded Green Bay Packers 26–20 in overtime in the NFC Divisional Round, giving quarterback Carson Palmer his first career playoff win. However, they were defeated by the top-seeded 15-1 Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship Game by a score of 23–16 (OT).

Reader's Guide

The Cardinals called heads to win the coin toss, but Carolina dominated the game from start to finish. With the loss, the Cardinals finished the season with an overall record of 14–4. They also turned the ball over 7 times in a Championship game. It would tie the most giveaways in a single conference championship game.

Did You Know?

• The Cardinals committed seven turnovers in the game, tied for the most turnovers in a conference championship game since the Los Angeles Rams were defeated by the Dallas Cowboys 28–0 in the 1978 season.
• As of 2025, this remains the most recent NFC Championship Game appearance for the Cardinals, but not their most recent playoff win—they defeated the Rams 34–11 in the Wild Card round on January 17, 2022.