The Panthers Could Only Give The Rams A Good Scare

A confession: For the past week, I grew convinced that the Carolina Panthers would do it. They had already beaten the Los Angeles Rams once in the regular season, in Charlotte, and this playoff game would be at the same stadium. The crummy weather forecast worked against the Rams, whose quarterback favored indoor conditions. Cam Newton and his big hat were going to show up before the game and pound the drum. Could this be a repeat of when the 7-9 Seahawks upset the Saints? Would there be another moment that matched the absolute euphoria of the Beast Quake?

Nope. After absorbing the derision that comes with an 8-9 team making the playoffs, the Panthers acquitted themselves well. They even took the lead with less than three minutes to go. Alas, the underachieving NFC South champions were unable to pull off an all-time upset, instead losing to Los Angeles, 34-31, in the typically staid Saturday afternoon time slot.

The Panthers went from plucky protagonists to the backdrop for yet another game-winning drive by Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. He started out well, going 8-for-8 as he kept finding receiver Puka Nacua, but Stafford began to falter after he hit his throwing hand on the helmet of a Carolina defender. The Panthers' cornerbacks were physical, the incompletions piled up, and Los Angeles began to look rather vulnerable. It seemed ominous when Nacua, who had already scored two first-half touchdowns, missed an easy third as he let a pass bounce right off his hands on third-and-10, right before halftime. The Rams had to punt, and ended the second quarter with a mere three-point lead.

Meanwhile, the Panthers did not look like an eight-win team. Head coach Dave Canales was taking risks and making aggressive fourth-down decisions. There were certainly some goofs: Trevor Etienne muffed a first-half punt to give the ball right back to the Rams, but he was bailed out when Carolina's defense achieved the fourth-down stop. The Panthers were keeping up with their supposedly superior opponent, and even though the weather was more overcast than rainy, the Rams were struggling.

The closest the Panthers got to a Beast Quake moment was with about four minutes left in the game. Down by three, the special teams unit blocked a Rams punt and recovered the ball at the Los Angeles 30. Carolina QB Bryce Young constructed a quick four-play drive that concluded with a beautiful TD throw to Jalen Coker for the 31-27 lead.

Then reality hit. Stafford, who had 53 game-winning drives in his career, accomplished his 54th as he picked apart the Panthers defense. His accuracy returned to him at the most crucial time as he went 6-of-7 on the drive and took the lead for good with a gorgeous touchdown pass to tight end Colby Parkinson. He must have remembered he's an MVP candidate, or something.

The Panthers had one more chance with the ball, but failed to gain any yards. With no need to respect the run, the Rams defense was able to hassle Young and force a turnover on downs after four incompletions. Carolina made it a game, but couldn't make it to the next round. Cam Newton's big hat only has so much magic within it.