A rematch of a cinematic game back in late November, the Los Angeles Rams will head across the country to Charlotte to take on the NFC South Champion Carolina Panthers.
Back in November, the Panthers beat the Rams by a score of 31-28 in surprising fashion. Los Angeles had come into that game winners of six straight games until Carolina knocked them off. Ultimately, the Panthers were the cause of the Rams' late season troubles as they dropped three of their last six games after starting off 9-2.
Los Angeles heads into Carolina with a record of 12-5 after finishing second in the NFC West. Despite being the road team in a playoff game, the Rams come in as heavy favorites over the Panthers to advance to the next round.
The Rams successes have been due to their excellent quarterback Matthew Stafford. Stafford has cemented himself as one of the top MVP candidates after posting the most passing touchdowns and passing yards as well.
LA certainly has what it takes to raise another Lombardi Trophy this upcoming February. The Rams ranked no. 1 in total offense this past season along with the most offensive touchdowns. Looking up and down the depth chart, Los Angeles has household names everywhere on their offense.
The offense can put up numbers against any given team, but the defense wasn't too shabby either. LA ranked in the top 10 in total rushing defense, an area that the Panthers love to utilize on offense.
Carolina comes into this matchup as the only playoff team with a sub .500 record after finishing the 2025 campaign 8-9. The Panthers wrapped up their first NFC South title since 2015 when they made it all the way to the Super Bowl.
In all honesty, the 2015 Panthers are not in the same league with the 2025 Panthers. Bryce Young has shown impressive strides in just his third professional season, but Carolina needs to do a better job surrounding him with more weapons in 2026.
Overall, nothing really jumps out on paper about this Panthers team. They are a very young squad that probably made the playoffs slightly before they were due to. However, it will be a good experience builder for this young team because they will be a threat across the league for years to come.
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