The Los Angeles Rams got everything they could handle from the Carolina Panthers on Saturday. After going up 14-0, the Rams allowed the Panthers to not only make things interesting, but take a late lead with just over 2 minutes to play.
Matthew Stafford led a game-winning drive, as he always does in the clutch, throwing a touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson with 38 seconds left to go up 34-31, which was the final score.
Here’s a recap of all the important plays and moments from the game.
Hear what Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford said after the win.
The Panthers’ comeback attempt came up short, with Bryce Young’s fourth-down pass falling incomplete. The Rams kneeled it once and ended the game.
With 38 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Parkinson hauled in the high throw from Stafford to give the Rams a 34-31 lead. It was a good throw and an even better catch, putting the Rams in position to win.
After the blocked punt, Bryce Young hit Jalen Coker for a touchdown to give the Panthers a 31-27 lead with 2:39 left to play.
Panthers 31, Rams 27
The Rams failed to move the chains on third-and-17 and were forced to punt. The Panthers broke through on the edge and blocked Ethan Evans’ punt taking over at the Rams’ 30-yard line with 4 minutes to play and trailing by just three points.
The offense looked shaky but after a big pass to Davante Adams over the middle and a fourth-down conversion by Williams, the Rams were back in business. They capped off the 11-play, 67-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Williams, putting the Rams back up 27-24.
Rams 27, Panthers 24
Less than a minute into the fourth quarter, Chuba Hubbard scored his second touchdown of the game, a 3-yard score to give the Panthers their first lead of the day. That put the Panthers up 24-20 with 14:34 left in the game.
Panthers 24, Rams 20
Coker has been dominating the Rams’ corners all day and he broke off his biggest catch of the game, a 52-yarder on the final play of the third quarter. Cobie Durant was trailing in coverage, giving up yet another long gain.
The Panthers have it at the Rams’ 9-yard line to open the fourth quarter.
Stafford tried to hit Davante Adams on a corner route on third down but Jackson read it like a book, undercut the route and intercepted it. He also had a pick-six against the Rams in Week 13, so he’s had success against Stafford.
The Panthers went for it on fourth-and-4 from the Rams’ 48-yard line and for the second time, Los Angeles got the stop it needed. Bryce Young was pressured by Byron Young and threw incomplete after running out of the pocket and failing to find anyone open.
After taking a big shot from Nick Scott, Adams was evaluated for a concussion. He was cleared and allowed to return to the game, though, which is great news.
Harrison Mevis gave the Rams the lead again with a 42-yard field goal in the third quarter. A 15-yard personal foul penalty on Nick Scott helped give the Rams 15 free yards, setting up Mevis’ attempt.
Rams 20, Panthers 17
After the Rams’ three-and-out, the Panthers kept their opening drive of the second half going thanks to Fiske’s penalty. They turned it into points, with Ryan Fitzgerald knocking through a 46-yard field goal to tie it up at 17.
Rams 17, Panthers 17
On the Panthers’ first drive of the second half, they faced third-and-5 from around midfield. Fiske jumped offsides and gave the Panthers a free play, which then fell incomplete on a deep shot down the field. That moved the chains for Carolina and kept the drive alive.
The Rams got the ball coming out of halftime but did nothing with it. Stafford threw it three times, all incompletions intended for Davante Adams. The drive ended with a punt of 52 yards by Ethan Evans.
The Rams moved the ball just before halftime but Nacua, of all people, dropped a pass that would’ve added to their lead. It was a perfect throw by Stafford down the right sideline and it almost appeared to catch Nacua off guard, with the ball clanking off his hands.
It likely would’ve been a 46-yard touchdown if he held on, or at worst, a field goal attempt.
After the Rams’ turnover on downs, the Panthers struck quickly. Following a pass interference penalty on Quentin Lake and a big gain by Jalen Coker with Lake in coverage, the Panthers drew closer to the Rams. Bryce Young scrambled for a 16-yard touchdown to make it a one-score game.
Rams 17, Panthers 14
The Rams went for it on fourth down from the Panthers’ 19-yard line instead of settling for a field goal to make it 20-7. Stafford’s pass to Higbee fell incomplete when DJ Wonnum deflected it, giving the Panthers the ball back with time to add points.
After a missed deep shot from Stafford to Davante Adams, the Rams punted it away, but Trevor Etienne muffed the punt and Troy Reeder pounced on it for an important recovery in Panthers territory.
The Rams tacked onto their lead with a 46-yard field goal by Harrison Mevis, his first career attempt in the playoffs.
Rams 17, Panthers 7
Higbee had a big Week 18 against the Cardinals and he came through with a huge catch on second-and-15, hauling in a 36-yard seam ball from Stafford to move the chains.
After a pass interference penalty on Cobie Durant in the end zone on third down, the Panthers took advantage. Chuba Hubbard took the handoff from the 1-yard line and powered into the end zone for the Panthers’ first touchdown of the game, cutting into the Rams’ lead.
Durant allowed two long catches to Tetairoa McMillan and had that penalty on the drive.
Rams 14, Panthers 7
The red zone is typically Davante Adams’ territory but Puka Nacua has taken over today, apparently. He scored his second touchdown of the day early in the second quarter, bouncing off defenders and getting into the end zone for a 5-yard score to double the Rams’ lead.
This play went as a rushing score, but he already has five catches for 59 yards and two total touchdowns.
Rams 14, Panthers 0
The Rams ended the first quarter with a 7-0 lead, outgaining the Panthers 92-59 in terms of yardage. The final play of the quarter was this one-hander by Colby Parkinson for 15 yards.
Young tried to throw over the middle but led his receiver too much. The ball was tipped by Quentin Lake and landed perfectly in the waiting arms of Durant, who returned it 10 yards.
After a penalty on the Panthers, the Rams were set up at Carolina’s 48-yard line.
Ekwonu was carted off the field with a knee injury and has since been ruled out, leaving Carolina without their starting left tackle for the rest of the game.
The Rams tried to get the run game going with Blake Corum but it didn’t yield very good results. After running it twice with Corum to get to third-and-1, Stafford handed it off again but Corum was stuffed behind the line of scrimmage.
After the loss of 1 yard, the Rams punted.
Nacua was heavily involved on the Rams’ first drive of the game, catching three passes for 40 yards and a touchdown right out of the gates.
The touchdown was from 14 yards out, capping off a picture-perfect drive by Los Angeles’ offense.
Rams 7, Panthers 0
Just as they were in Week 13, the Panthers were aggressive on fourth down. They went for it on fourth-and-1 on their opening drive but were stopped after Byron Young flushed Bryce Young out of the pocket and forced the incompletion.
Quentin Lake was there to break up the pass, too.
The Rams won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, giving the Panthers the ball first.
Nacua and Williams are ready to go in the postseason opener in Charlotte.
Terrance Ferguson, Josh Wallace and Darious Williams are all officially inactive for today’s game. Ferguson has a hamstring injury and Wallace has an ankle issue, while Williams is a healthy scratch.
Ferguson is questionable to play against the Panthers due to a hamstring injury, but he’s trying it out pre-game.
Verse sounds confident the Rams won’t lose back-to-back games to the Panthers after dropping their matchup in Week 13.
It appears the rain is holding off for now, but clouds are covering the sky over Bank of America Stadium for today’s game.
Adams missed the last three games of the regular season with a hamstring injury but he’s back for the playoffs.
Nacua made sure to keep his tradition of watching LeBron James highlights before the game going today.
What TV channel is Rams vs. Panthers on today?
- TV: FOX
- Streaming: FuboTV
Rams vs. Panthers predictions
Rams 31, Panthers 20: The Rams won’t lose twice to the 8-9 Panthers…right? It’s hard to see that happening, even after Los Angeles was tripped up three times as big favorites this season. They’ll handle the Panthers’ run game and avoid the costly turnovers that plagued them in Week 13, taking care of business in the wild-card round by beating the Panthers comfortably.
What this game will come down to is the Rams’ ability to protect the ball, stop the run and prevent big plays. All four of the Panthers’ touchdowns in Week 13 were at least 30 yards long, including two on fourth down that went for 33 and 43 yards. Those were the Panthers’ final two touchdowns of the afternoon, too.
The Rams gave it away three times (two interceptions, one lost fumble) in that loss, all of them proving to be costly by either taking points off the board or giving the Panthers a touchdown of their own on the pick-six.
In the postseason, anything can happen, but talent and coaching typically win out. The Rams have the edge in both areas and should advance to the next round.
Rams injury updates
RG Kevin Dotson (ankle) out
WR Jordan Whittington (knee) out
CB Josh Wallace (ankle) out
TE Terrance Ferguson (hamstring) out
Rams 2025 schedule
Here is Los Angeles’ schedule and results.
- Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 7, vs. Houston Texans (W, 14-9)
- Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 14, at Tennessee Titans (W, 33-19)
- Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 21, at Philadelphia Eagles (L, 33-26)
- Week 4: Sunday, Sept. 28, vs. Indianapolis Colts, (W, 27-20)
- Week 5: Thursday, Oct. 2, vs. San Francisco 49ers (L, 26-23)
- Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 12, at Baltimore Ravens (W, 17-3)
- Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 19, at Jacksonville Jaguars (W, 35-7)
- Week 8: Bye
- Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 2, vs. New Orleans Saints (W, 34-10)
- Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 9, at San Francisco 49ers (W, 42-26)
- Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 16, vs. Seattle Seahawks (W, 21-19)
- Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 23, vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (W, 34-7)
- Week 13: Sunday, Nov. 30, at Carolina Panthers (L, 31-28)
- Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 7, at Arizona Cardinals (W, 45-17)
- Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 14, vs. Detroit Lions (W, 41-34)
- Week 16: Thursday, Dec. 18, at Seattle Seahawks (L, 38-37)
- Week 17: Monday, Dec. 29, at Atlanta Falcons (L, 27-24)
- Week 18: Sunday, Jan. 4, vs. Arizona Cardinals (W, 37-20)
