Calais Campbell's sack with 26 seconds left secures Cardinals' 27-22 win after Carolina comeback try

That's also approximately how much Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon aged over the final two minutes of a draining victory.

“Ultimately, we made enough plays to win the game,” Gannon said. “I obviously have to do a much better job making our guys, all three phases, understand how to close games out. I've got a lot of work to do.”

Arizona built a 27-3 lead with 9:23 left in the third quarter, but nearly gave it all away. Carolina quarterback Bryce Young threw three touchdown passes in the second half to lead an impressive comeback attempt. The third touchdown, a 1-yard throw to Hunter Renfrow, cut the margin to 27-22 with 1:58 left.

The Panthers then converted the onside kick, getting the ball at midfield and setting up a disjointed final offensive drive that included eight plays and six penalty flags — four for Arizona and two for Carolina.

Ultimately, Young was sacked with 26 seconds left on fourth down by Campbell to end the threat.

Campbell — a six-time Pro Bowl selection — played the first nine seasons of his career in Arizona before spending time with the Jaguars, Ravens, Falcons and Dolphins. He came back to the Cardinals during the offseason and was playing his first home game since his return.

“It's never really going to be easy,” Campbell said. “Like 80% of the games come down to one score. For us to have the lead the way we did, you've got to give them a lot of respect for fighting back. They were scrappy.”

Arizona (2-0) controlled the game until the final few minutes, taking advantage of two Panthers turnovers on the first two drives to take a 10-0 lead. The Cardinals pushed their advantage to 27-3 after James Conner ran for a 2-yard touchdown.

Kyler Murray completed 17 of 25 passes for 220 yards and added a spectacular 30-yard scramble in the fourth quarter. Tight end Trey McBride caught six passes for 78 yards.

Young finished with a career-high 328 yards passing, completing 35 of 55 passes, though he missed on all seven of his throws on the final drive. The third-year quarterback also had a rough start with two early turnovers, one week after a three-turnover outing in a 26-10 loss to the Jaguars.

Arizona edge rusher Josh Sweat — who signed a $76.4 million, four-year deal during the offseason — had his first big moment with the Cardinals on the third play of the game. He strip-sacked Young at the Carolina 19 and the ball shot backward toward the end zone, where Zaven Collins was there to pick it up and run 3 yards for the quick 7-0 lead.

Young then threw an interception on the second drive — getting hit by Mack Wilson Sr. as he was releasing the ball, which fluttered high into the air. Baron Browning was there to grab the easy pick.

Arizona extended its lead to 20-3 in the final seconds of the second quarter when Murray found Michael Wilson for a 11-yard touchdown.

The Panthers offense — including Young — looked much better in the second half. The quarterback hit Renfrow for a 4-yard touchdown late in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 27-9.

Young's 5-yard touchdown pass to Chuba Hubbard made it 27-15 with 5:05 left.

“It showed the fight of this team,” Young said. “It’s a team full of guys that are going to play until the last snap, they’re always going to believe, always going to fight. I’m super, super proud to be a part of that.”

“But obviously, don’t want to be in that position to start with.”

Panthers rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillian, who played in college at Arizona, finished with six catches for 100 yards.

Injuries

Panthers: Starting left tackle Ikem Ekwonu returned after missing Week 1 because of an appendectomy.

Cardinals: CB Max Melton (knee) and DL LJ Collier (knee) left the game in the first quarter. Two more CBs — Garrett Williams (knee) and Will Johnson (groin) — left the game in the final minutes.

Up next

Panthers: Host the Falcons next Sunday.

Cardinals: At the 49ers next Sunday.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL