Not many were giving the Carolina Panthers a chance today. Not only had the Los Angeles Rams been playing lights out, the Panthers returned from San Francisco Monday night battered and missing a number of key players on the defensive side of the ball. There was no Jaycee Horn, no Tre’Von Moehrig, Christian Rozeboom, Claudin Cherelus. Not only were they missing Horn, guard Chandler Zavala and backup cornerback Corey Thornton were placed on Injured Reserve. Add that to the mixture of a short week, a holiday, and the No. 1 team in the NFC; and it seems to be a recipe for disaster. But the guys in process blue had something to say about that.
Admittedly, things started off bleak as Ronnie Rivers returned the opening kickoff 46 yards and got an additional 15 yards added on as Thomas Incoom was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for a late hit. Six plays later, Matt Stafford connected with Davante Adams for the first of his two receiving touchdowns of the afternoon. The Panthers responded with a touchdown of their own on their first offensive possession of the game to tie the score. To say that what happened next was unexpected would be an extreme understatement. Stafford had thrown an NFL record 28 consecutive touchdowns with no interceptions – until Sunday afternoon in Charlotte. Nick Scott snagged the first takeaway in the end zone. The very next Rams possession, Mike Jackson intercepted Stafford at the CAR 48 yard line and returned it for a touchdown. Suddenly, the unthinkable became a real possibility. The Rams had not trailed since the first quarter of their October 12 game against the Baltimore Ravens and now found themselves in a 14-7 hole to a injury-riddled Panthers team.
Although in uncommon territory, the Rams shook back, scoring touchdowns on their next two possessions to take a 21-17 lead into halftime. Carolina got the ball after the break and reclaimed the lead when Bryce Young hooked up with Jalen Coker for a 33 yard touchdown on fourth down. Defense held Los Angeles to a three-and-out as both teams traded punts. The final quarter began with the Panthers clinging to a 3-point lead that the Rams wiped out with a Kyren Williams run up the middle for a 7-yard touchdown with just under 10 minutes left in the game. But just as Bryce Young has down ten times before, he led the Panthers down the field and capped the drive with a go-ahead touchdown pass to Tetairoa McMillan – once again on fourth down – this time for 43 yards. Carolina then took their final lead of the game, 31-28, with 6:34 left on the clock. The Rams marched all the way to Carolina’s 22-yard line before Stafford was strip sacked for his third turnover of the day. Derrick Brown got into the backfield, causing the fumble, and DJ Wonnum scooped up the ball, returning it to near midfield. Carolina’s bench was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after running onto the field after the play.
With the ball in play from their own 34-yard line and the Rams out of timeouts, Carolina needed just one first down to ice the game and get into victory formation. Young became the youngest player in NFL history with 11 game winning drives. He led the Panthers with 206 yards and three touchdowns while Coker led all receivers with 74 yards and Chuba Hubbard led all rushers with 83 yards as he continues to round back into form after injury. All seven of Carolina’s wins this season has come as underdogs. They will be on a much needed bye week and return in Week 15 on the road against the New Orleans Saints, very much still in the hunt for the NFC South.
