When you're down 11 points with one play remaining, perhaps it's prudent to reset goals.
Like, shift from "Try to win a playoff game" to "Don't do anything foolish to set a seemingly unbreakable record for offensive futility."
Not that gaining 97 yards in a NFL playoff game would keep the Arizona Cardinals from hiding their heads in shame, but at least it wouldn't live forever as an NFL record for fewest yards in a playoff game. The Cleveland Browns held the record, set when they gained 86 yards in a 1958 playoff game against the New York Giants. There's a reason that record lasted for more than 56 years. It's hard to be that bad.
But the Cardinals, led by overmatched quarterback Ryan Lindley, were tremendously bad on offense in their 27-16 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Saturday. And they were determined to get that record.
The Cardinals ran a play with multiple laterals on their last play, apparently hoping to make the first 11-point play in NFL history. And they started going forward, but as many of these plays go, the retreat began. And then there was a wild lateral backwards by receiver Michael Floyd that hit the ground, Cardinals receiver John Brown recovered, was pushed out of bounds and suddenly Arizona had lost 19 yards on that play. The Cardinals had just one play on Saturday gain 19 yards or more, a 21-yard pass to Brown.
And thanks to that 19-yard loss on the final play the Cardinals had the NFL record, with an unbelievable 78 yards in a playoff game.
The Cardinals' awful performance will be remembered for a while for how truly bad it was, but Arizona wanted to make sure nobody will ever forget it. Now their embarrassment is immortalized.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
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