One of the Super Bowl favorites entering this postseason will face the fifth team in NFL history to enter the postseason with a losing record (excluding the 1982 strike-shortened season).
There isn’t much suspense as to which game will be played on Saturday afternoon during wild-card weekend.
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The Los Angeles Rams vs. Carolina Panthers game looks like a mismatch, even though the Panthers did beat the Rams in the regular season. That, along with the relatively good history of teams that have lost in the playoffs, provides some hope for competitive games to kick off the postseason.
Matthew Stafford and the Rams lost to the Panthers in the regular season. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
(Grant Halvorson via Getty Images)
Last meeting of the season
Back in Week 13, the Panthers defeated the Rams 31-28 in a rainy game that might have been Matthew Stafford’s worst performance of his MVP season.
Stafford threw an interception in the end zone after the Rams rushed to Carolina’s 8-yard line, and with his team down three points in the final three minutes, he returned a pick-and-six and a strip-sack fumble in the Panthers’ zone. Those three games were the difference in a three-point shooting contest, and without this win, the Panthers wouldn’t have made the playoffs.
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health update
Davante Adams’ return to the lineup is the biggest news on the injury report. He has had full training this week. The news may not be good for Rams linebacker Kevin Dotson, who missed practice with a hamstring injury, and tight end Terrance Ferguson, who did not practice this week with an ankle injury. The Panthers have a very clean injury report. The only DNP on Wednesday was defensive tackle Derrick Brown, who was out due to rest.
head coach
Dave Canales went 5-12 in his first season with the Panthers, which wasn’t guaranteed because of owner David Tepper’s lack of patience. The Panthers struggled this season but were good enough to make the playoffs, which is a step forward for Canales and the team.
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Canales’ first playoff game as head coach comes against one of the best coaches of this generation. Sean McVay is one of the few coaches with a career winning record in the postseason (8-5), and he also has a Super Bowl championship and another NFC championship on his resume. He once again performed well, leading the Rams to a 12-5 record.
key players for panthers
Bryce Young had one game all season when he threw for over 206 yards, and the Panthers won. It was an overtime win over the Falcons in which Young exploded for 448 yards. This is the biggest game of Young’s career, and we still don’t know if he’s the best long-term option for the Panthers. His passer rating improved each season, but his chances of looking like a true franchise quarterback were short-lived. A strong performance in an upset win over the Rams will help change perceptions.
Rams’ key players
It’s probably no coincidence that Davante Adams has missed the Rams’ last three games with a hamstring injury and the team is 1-2. Adams is practicing fully this week and is expected to play Saturday, which is a big boost for the offense. Adams is the Rams’ easy button at the goal line. Despite missing the last three games, he still leads the NFL with 14 receiving touchdowns. He also took some pressure off Punacua, even though Nakua didn’t need much help. Keeping Adams healthy before the playoffs will be huge for the Rams.
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prophecy
The Panthers are 8-9 and have a point differential of -69. Still, two of the four losing teams that made the playoffs before the Panthers won wild-card games. One was the famous “Shock the Beast” game, when the Seahawks defeated the Saints in 2010, and the other was when the Panthers defeated the Cardinals in 2014.
It’s hard to make a decent argument for how the Panthers beat the Rams, since the Rams are clearly the better team. But Carolina did already beat Los Angeles, so keeping this game close isn’t too much to ask.
Rams 23, Panthers 13
