TEMPE — Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon does not like to look into the future.
He definitely doesn’t like to look in the past.
As he’s said time and time again, “you look too much in the past, you get depressed.”
Sometimes, though, taking a trip down memory lane is warranted.
Given his team’s overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers and the implications that came with it last year, looking back on the why behind the defeat is a necessary practice this week.
“We didn’t stop the run and we lost the takeaway battle and got beat,” Gannon said Wednesday. “You don’t do that, you’re going to lose.
“It’s very clear to our guys why we lost that game and just revisited it because they got a lot of (the same) players. (Running back Chuba Hubbard) went for 152 yards versus use last year. You’re not going to win (like that).”
Still very much in the NFC West conversation at 7-7 entering a Week 16 road game against the Panthers, the Cardinals needed a victory to keep pace with both the Seattle Seahawks (8-6) and Los Angeles Rams (8-6).
Instead, the Cardinals did the opposite, as the Panthers ripped off 243 yards and three touchdowns on 36 carries. That was good enough for 6.8 yards per carry.
Aside from Hubbard’s big day, which included a pair of scores, quarterback Bryce Young added another 68 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Throw in two turnovers — an interception from quarterback Kyler Murray and a fumbled exchange between he and running back Michael Carter — and the climb is that much steeper.
It’s not just last year, either, when it comes to the Panthers having the Cardinals’ number. Since Murray came to town in 2019, Arizona is a lowly 1-4 against Carolina. The lone win came during the team’s final season under the previous regime in 2022.
They shouldn’t have been on the losing end last season based on the talent comparison alone. That’s even more of the case in 2025 with Arizona’s revamped defense.
And while it didn’t jump off the page in sacks or pressures last week like many expected, there are takeaways to be had against Young.
Completing just 51.4% of his 35 throws in Sunday’s 26-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Young coughed up the rock three times behind a pair of interceptions — which currently leads the NFL — and a fumble.
Young is now 6-23 as a starter.
It wasn’t a banner day for running back Chuba Hubbard, either, with 57 yards on 16 attempts.
Hubbard having a better week is expected, especially after he racked up 1,195 yards and 10 touchdowns on 250 carries in 2024.
It’s imperative for the guys up front to set the tone early.
The same goes for Arizona’s run-first offense, which should be champing at the bit given what transpired last week.
He didn’t find the end zone but Trevor Etienne was uber effective against the Panthers run defense behind 16 carries for 143 yards.
Last year, James Conner ran wild before leaving due to injury behind 15 carries for 117 yards and a touchdown. He also paced the team in receiving with four catches for 49 yards.
Look for he and second-year pro Trey Benson to get theirs this week.
The Panthers’ large wrinkle vs. Cardinals
While Carolina’s coaching staff is largely intact from last year’s matchup, there are some new faces among the Panthers’ ranks.
None stand out more than wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan.
At 6-foot-5 and 212 pounds, the Arizona Wildcats alum brings a legit WR1 option to the Panthers offense. There’s a reason why Gannon and the Cardinals “liked him a lot” during the predraft process.
And he flashed some of that potential, especially on contested catches, with five receptions for 68 yards in his NFL debut last week.
“I was training with him all pre-draft. Got really close with him,” Cardinals cornerback Will Johnson said Wednesday. “He’s big, smooth, fluid, explosive. Great hands, everything. He’s going to be a great matchup for us.”