Matthew Stafford’s 19-yard pass to Colby Parkinson with 38 seconds remaining rescued the Los Angeles Rams in a 34-31 victory against the Carolina Panthers in an NFC wild-card game Saturday at Charlotte.
“It was MVP type of stuff what he did,” Rams coach Sean McVay said of Stafford. “I thought he saw the field really well and that’s why we’re advancing because of his leadership.”
Stafford was 24-for-42 for 304 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
“That’s a situation that I’ve been in a bunch of times in my life,” Stafford said of the game-winning drive. “I was just going to go out there and try to execute and give guys a chance to make plays. They made some great ones.”
Puka Nacua, who racked up 111 receiving yards, scored on a reception and a run, and Harrison Mevis kicked two field goals for the Rams.
Bryce Young’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Coker near the left side of the end zone with 2:39 remaining gave the Panthers a 31-27 lead but they couldn’t hold on.
The Rams will meet a to-be-determined opponent next weekend.
“Proud of the way we finished the game,” said McVay, whose Rams went 12-5 in the regular season to finish behind Seattle (14-3) in the NFC West. “I think there’s going to be a lot of things that we can learn from. There’s no style points. I think there was a lot of guys who stepped up and made some critical plays at the right time.”
Young was 21-for-40 for 264 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and he also rushed for a TD. Coker finished with 134 receiving yards on nine catches for the Panthers, who were in their first playoff game in eight years.
“Proud of what we accomplished and what we got to, and sick about the missed opportunity that was right in front of us. That’s going to sting for a good while,” said Panthers coach Dave Canales, whose team finished 8-9 in the regular season as NFC South champions. “The boys kept battling. I’m just proud of this group.”
A blocked punt by Isaiah Simmons gave the Panthers the ball at the Rams’ 30 with 4:12 remaining and trailing 27-24. Four plays later, they were in the end zone with the go-ahead points.
Chuba Hubbard’s 3-yard run in the first minute of the fourth quarter — his second of the game — gave the Panthers their first lead of the game at 24-20. Carolina covered 62 yards in four plays.
The Rams came right back with a 67-yard drive that ended with Stafford’s 13-yard pass to Kyren Williams. The 11-play possession included a fourth-and-1 pick-up from the Panthers’ 30.
Earlier, the Panthers came back from a 17-7 deficit to pull even in the third quarter on Ryan Fitzgerald’s 46-yard field goal to end a 13-play drive.
Los Angeles went back ahead on Mevis’ 42-yarder later in the quarter.
The Rams were dominant for much of the first half, but the Panthers hung around.
Young’s 16-yard scramble for a TD with 37 seconds to go in the half allowed Carolina to pull within 17-14. That came after the Rams failed to cash in after recovering a muffed punt in Panthers’ territory, giving the ball back on a failed fourth down from the Carolina 19-yard line.
Carolina’s three first-quarter possessions ended on a failed fourth-down play, a punt and an interception by Cobie Durant.
The Rams scored first on Stafford’s 14-yard pass to Nacua. Los Angeles converted the pick into a 48-yard drive finished with Nacua’s 5-yard run around the end, claiming a 14-0 lead.
The Panthers were without cornerback Jaycee Horn on the Rams’ final possession of the game as he was in the medical tent. Canales said he was ruled out for the rest of the game.
“It was untimely,” Canales said.
–Field Level Media
