Arizona Cardinals biggest stars fall flat in Carolina

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They can't blame this time.With a trip to 50 hanging in the balance, the ' biggest stars imploded in their postseason rematch with the , ending ."Great players play great in big games," Arizona coach Bruce Thomas Morstead Jersey  Arians said when he raved about 's sterling performance last week. "And that's how you get to the . Some guys shrivel in the moment, some guys ." was a this season. was the NFL's dominant lockdown cornerback. Fitzgerald has a strong argument as the greatest postseason receiver in history. All three shriveled in the moment.The seven turnovers from Palmer and Peterson were the most by any team in a playoff game since the ' eight in a 2001 lo s to the ."We just didn't play well enough," Arians said after the lo s. "Our best players especially didn't play well enough."Peterson's muffed punt was a critical gaffe, negating the ' momentum by blowing an opportunity to Tevin Coleman Jersey  recover from an early 17-0 deficit.Fitzgerald dropped two pa ses Sunday after flubbing just one on 268 targets over the past two years.While those two perennial ers are certain to bounce back next season, it's fair to wonder how Palmer's postseason collapse will affect his confidence going forward.Coming off a versus Green Bay in the Divisional Round, Palmer battled jitters again in Carolina, throwing four interceptions and Isaiah Dunn Jersey  losing two fumbles to the ' opportunistic defense.Palmer hasn't been the same since suffering an injury to the index finger of his throwing hand, posting a 56.7 completion rate, 5:7 TD-to-INT ratio and a 65.5 pa ser rating in the last three games compared to 64.7, 34:10 and 106.8 in his Nick Mangold Jersey  first 16 weeks of the season.While the injury has , this grisly performance was more mental than physical.Palmer never bounced back from a disastrous two-play sequence early in the second quarter when he mi sed an open on a simple dump-off pa s and took a third-down sack, turning a field-goal opportunity into a lost fumble.From that point on, Palmer grew more and more carele s with the ball, throwing a series of pa ses up for grabs in tight coverage. It was fitting that ended any hopes of a fourth-quarter comeback with a 22-yard pick six on a bad decision from Palmer.It was just as fitting that Palmer uncorked his fourth and final interception two plays later, as exited the blowout  Jermaine Johnson II Jersey to "MVP" chants from the home crowd.Kuechly and the rest of Carolina's defense deserves credit for making Palmer's life miserable, but this wasn't just a disappointing outing. It was an epic meltdown with the potential to haunt Palmer in future playoff appearances.