Rams survive and advance. It certainly wasn’t easy, and for a second-half stretch it appeared as if they might watch their Super Bowl aspirations evaporate in Charlotte, N.C., but the Rams remembered who they are and where they’ve been with just enough time to make it count and escape with a three-point win in the Wild Card Round. The victory required clutch performances from nearly everyone on a day in which they were otherwise sparse, but with a four-point deficit and a massive upset loss staring them in the face, Matthew Stafford calmly led the most important drive of the season, firing bullets to his most trusted targets (Puka Nacua, Davante Adams) to move them into scoring range before turning to rookie Konata Mumpfield for a crucial gain of 11. In a perfectly fitting conclusion for the team that has popularized 13 (three tight ends) personnel in 2025, Stafford dropped a dime on tight end Colby Parkinson, who made a fantastic, contested catch and tight-roped the sideline across the goal line for the game’s decisive score. The drive mirrored the ease with which Los Angeles moved the ball in the first half, an efficient pace that seemed lost for good before the final three minutes of the game. Fortunately for the Rams, they found that rhythm just in time to keep their season alive.Panthers prove they belonged. Carolina entered Saturday as a consensus underdog at home, the winner of the least impressive division race in the entire NFL that only reached the postseason by virtue of a three-team tiebreaker. Most everyone (including this writer) expected the Rams to win by multiple scores, and for the first 18 minutes of game action, that’s the direction in which the game seemed to be headed. The Panthers woke up, though, and battled with the Rams, erasing a 14-point deficit to take a 24-20 lead early in the fourth by riding an offense that capitalized on timely defensive penalties, leaned on Bryce Young’s arm and benefitted from his willingness to scramble in the second half. With less than three minutes to play, the Panthers owned a four-point lead and appeared poised to pull off the upset. The loss undoubtedly hurts for Carolina, but their fans can be proud of their team’s effort. They certainly were not a pushover.Matthew Stafford overcomes rough day to deliver win. Stafford’s (and the Rams’) recent struggles seemed to disappear in the second half of their Week 18 win over Arizona, returning a sense of confidence in Los Angeles’ offensive potential as they entered Wild Card Weekend. That optimism proved true early in the game, in which Stafford and Nacua carved up Carolina’s defense for a pair of exceptionally easy touchdown drives. Stafford appeared dialed in and ready to torch the Panthers for four quarters — that is, until the Rams’ fourth-down conversion attempt in Carolina’s red zone failed. From that moment on, everything increased in difficulty for Stafford and the Rams’ passing attack; typically reliable receivers dropped passes (including a beautiful ball to Nacua along the sideline that could have resulted in a touchdown had he snagged it), and Stafford appeared to be dealing with a hand issue that seemed to affect his accuracy, especially during a rough stretch to start the second half. Fortunately, Stafford and the Rams were able to piece together one crucial touchdown drive that saw the 37-year-old NFL MVP candidate regain his passing precision, which was on full display on his touchdown pass to Parkinson. With the level of difficult all but guaranteed to increase from here, the Rams must work toward eliminating the lulls (and the drops, goodness) going forward. They’ll also hope Stafford’s apparent hand ailment is minor at most.Bryce Young earns faith in Carolina. Young’s 2025 season defined tumultuous; on any given week, he’d either throw for over 300 yards and a handful of touchdowns or prove entirely ineffective. Typically, his performances hinted at whether the Panthers won or lost games. For the first few drives Saturday, it seemed we might be in for the bad version of Young — which bottomed out when he threw an interception over the middle in the first half — but Young gathered himself, settled in and became the leader the Panthers needed in this new world of postseason football. Scrambling became the key that unlocked his and the offense’s potential, with Young using his legs to extend drives and even finished a pivotal end-of-half possession by running for a 16-yard touchdown. That score made it a three-point game and injected confidence into Young and his entire team, empowering them to battle through the final minutes of an incredibly entertaining playoff contest. His touchdown pass to Jalen Coker — who also had a breakout game on a big stage, finishing with nine catches for 134 yards — was beautifully delivered and stood as a potential signature moment in Young’s career. The result removed that possibility, but plenty of value remains in Young’s performance, especially entering an offseason in which the Panthers will have to decide whether to pick up his fifth-year option. Saturday’s showing gave them plenty of reason to do just that.Special teams bites Rams again. The Rams left Charlotte as the victors, but a consistently concerning theme reemerged at a terrible time in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles has had special teams issues all season, has cycled through kickers and nearly watched their postseason run end Saturday because of another issue in the third phase of the game when they had a fourth-quarter punt blocked in their own territory. That miscue enabled the Panthers to convert the sudden change into a late touchdown, forcing the Rams’ backs against the wall. Stafford and Co. delivered in the clutch, but if they’re going to make a deep playoff run, they’ll need to clean it up in this area. On the bright side, Harrison Mevis was reliable, nailing both of his 40-plus-yard field goal attempts on a windy evening. Los Angeles will need similarly competent performances from the punt unit next time, too.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Rams-Panthers (via NFL Pro): Matthew Stafford completed 22 of 30 attempts between the numbers for 275 yards and two touchdowns. He entered the team’s final drive just 1 of 11 for 10 yards and an interception on throws outside the numbers before his game-winning touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson on a throw to the right sideline.
NFL Research: The four lead changes in the fourth quarter tied for the most in the final period and/or overtime in a playoff game in NFL history. It was also only the fifth such playoff game and first since Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes squared off in the 2018 AFC Championship Game.