Rams prepare for Wild Card Matchup with Panthers

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. -- January football has become familiar territory for the Los Angeles Rams, who return to the postseason for a third consecutive year as the NFC’s top wild card and No. 5 seed. Standing in their way is the NFC South champion Carolina Panthers.

Saturday’s wild-card matchup marks a rematch of Week 13 and will kick off the postseason from Bank of America Stadium. It will be the venue’s first playoff game since the 2015 NFC Championship, when the 15-1 Panthers, led by MVP quarterback Cam Newton, overwhelmed the 13-3 Arizona Cardinals 49-15 to punch their ticket to Super Bowl 50. Carolina ultimately fell short against Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos in Santa Clara.

A decade later, the Panthers are once again atop the division, and the Super Bowl returns to familiar ground. The path back to the sport’s biggest stage, however, will be far more demanding, beginning with a showdown against MVP front-runner Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams.

Los Angeles enters the postseason powered by the NFL’s top-ranked offense, finishing the regular season first in both points and yards per game. Rams head coach Sean McVay emphasized the importance of possessing an attack capable of striking at any moment.

“The only way that you can win is when you score more points than other teams,” McVay said. “Unless something changes, that stat will be important.”

That offensive firepower is driven by one of the league’s most dangerous passing attacks, highlighted by Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, who is set to return after missing the final three games with a hamstring injury.

In his first season with Los Angeles, Adams led the NFL with 14 receiving touchdowns. The 33-year-old’s arrival helped form one of the league’s premier wide receiver duos alongside third-year standout Nacua, who ranked second in the NFL with 1,715 receiving yards across 16 games.

The presence of two elite wideouts played a major role in Stafford delivering the best season of his 17-year career — one the veteran quarterback wasn’t even certain would materialize when he arrived at training camp dealing with a back injury.

“I didn’t know if I would get there but I went out there and it was wait and see, let’s see what happens,” Stafford said. “Luckily it turned out pretty good.”

Carolina proved in Week 13 that it can disrupt Los Angeles when executing its game plan. The Panthers snapped the Rams’ six-game winning streak by rushing for more than 160 yards and converting all three fourth-down attempts, including a 43-yard touchdown pass to Tetairoa McMillan that gave Carolina a 31-28 lead.

Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula pointed to Carolina’s physicality and Bryce Young’s composure as key factors in the outcome.

“They controlled the game, I think they played really physical,” Shula said. “Bryce Young extended some plays and made some good plays in the pocket.”

Outside linebacker Jared Verse echoed that sentiment, identifying the root of Los Angeles’ struggles in the first meeting.

“We didn’t stop the run, I think that was the biggest thing,” Verse said. “That’s not something that we can sustain as a defense.”

Despite the earlier loss, Los Angeles enters the weekend as the largest favorite on the wild-card slate — and for good reason.

Carolina becomes the first team since the 2022 Tampa Bay Buccaneers to reach the postseason with a losing record, capturing the NFC South during Tom Brady’s final NFL season. While the Panthers found success in Week 13, the Rams maintain a clear edge across most key statistical categories, including points allowed and total offense, positioning themselves as the more complete team entering the playoffs. Carolina also owns the lowest-scoring offense among the 14 remaining postseason teams, averaging just 18.3 points per game.

The challenge now falls on the 24-year-old Young, who must sustain drives against a Los Angeles defense that ranks 10th in the NFL in points allowed and fifth in turnover differential.

KEYS TO VICTORY

In Week 13, Carolina generated timely takeaways at pivotal moments, forcing Stafford into three turnovers, including a pick-six and a game-ending forced fumble late in the fourth quarter. For the Panthers to pull the upset, replicating that defensive disruption is essential, while Young and the offense must establish the run with Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard to control tempo and keep the MVP front-runner off the field.

For Los Angeles, the return of Adams looms large, particularly in the red zone, where the veteran wideout has been a consistent difference-maker throughout the season. Early involvement from running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum will also be critical, as balance between the run and pass would allow the Rams to dictate pace and limit Carolina’s opportunities to create turnovers.

The winner of Saturday’s matchup will advance to the divisional round and await the outcome of Saturday night’s game in Chicago and Sunday afternoon’s contest in Philadelphia.