Cardinals' Palmer says he's moving on after dismal NFC Championship Game
Carson Palmer's worst game of the 2015 season came at the most inopportune time imaginable.
The Arizona Cardinals quarterback submitted an abysmal performance in the NFC Championship Game, going 23-of-40 with four interceptions in a 49-15 loss to the Carolina Panthers.
After two months to reflect upon the harrowing defeat, Palmer said he's moved past his uninspiring performance.
"You just turn the page," Palmer said Saturday to Dan Bickley of The Arizona Republic. "You have to. There is no dwelling. There is no feeling sorry for yourself. There is no locking yourself in a closet. I’ve played 150-something games. You can't let one game define you. You just have to move on."
Palmer was one of the NFL's marquee quarterbacks last season, completing 63.7 percent of his passes for 4,671 yards and 35 touchdowns. He threw 11 interceptions. The veteran engineered the NFL's second-best scoring offense (30.6 points per game), so his capitulation against the Panthers was surprising to many observers.
"You take it head on," Palmer said. "You're honest and you take the heat and you move on. It is what it is. That's the position. That's the game. Nobody is safe (at the position), other than the one guy that wins the Super Bowl, and even Peyton (Manning) was getting picked apart this year. There's a lot of pressure. But it's a good pressure."
Palmer also said he feels for Cardinals fans who anxiously await their first Super Bowl in franchise history.
"I can also sympathize with fans because I'm a fan myself. I know what it's like to be excited for a big game. I know what it's like to be heartbroken after losing to a rival. I know what it's like to lose a key player to injury. I know the feeling after a catastrophic loss, to be so close and have it all just end."
The Cardinals are one of the leading contenders to reach the Super Bowl next season, and Palmer will need to erase last year's conference championship game from his memory if they are to actualize their potential.