Sustained drives
That third down efficiency lead right into sustained drives. The Cardinals ran 73 plays on Sunday to Carolina’s 59. Sure, you could say the Panthers had a couple of big plays that eliminated the need for long drives on their part.
However the Cardinals had five drives of at least seven plays or more. With trying to do a little too much at the end, the Cardinals did have their last five drives go for five plays or less. Falling behind makes offenses take more risks, which in this case on Sunday led to 2 interceptions of Murray.
The sustained drives though kept the Carolina offense off the field for a bit, particularly in the first half. The Panthers adjusted though and the Cardinals didn’t.
Next week if the Cardinals are able to sustain long drives and get more three and outs from the Seahawks, then they might leave themselves a better chance at pulling out a victory at the end, otherwise it will likely be more of the same next week.