The Los Angeles Rams lost some of the momentum they accumulated this season in their Week 13 loss, but it doesn’t mean the sky is falling for their championship hopes. They’ve made the path to a Super Bowl harder than it needed to be, but their championship DNA is still intact.
The Carolina Panthers were able to win due to some uncharacteristic mistakes from Matthew Stafford, and it’s expected he won’t have a performance as poor as he did against them. They can easily bounce back and put themselves at the forefront of Super Bowl contention once again.
The Benefit of the Doubt
Nov 30, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay looks on during the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Zachary Pereles writes for CBS Sports, and he tiered each NFL team predicted to make the playoffs based on how much he trusts them. The Rams are only one of two teams in the top tier he trusts, showing how they’ve earned the benefit of the doubt despite their loss to the Panthers.
“Yes, the Rams still land here, even after a loss to the Panthers. Each of the three last Super Bowl champions has an inexplicable loss. The 2025 Eagles lost to the Kirk Cousins-led Falcons; Philadelphia eventually became the first team to win a Super Bowl the same season it lost to Cousins”, said Pereles.
Nov 30, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) looks on before the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
The problem is that the Rams have already had their inexcusable loss of the season. They had no business losing to the San Francisco 49ers in Week five, allowing Mac Jones to dice up their defense and throw for more than 300 yards.
A similar thing happened against the Panthers, where their secondary completely broke down and allowed Bryce Young to throw for three touchdowns. He had his third-best performance of the season, and this is a quarterback who struggles to throw for more than 100 yards in a game. If the Rams want to continue to have the benefit of the doubt, they can’t allow themselves to get beaten by teams they should beat the brakes off of.
Nov 30, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) celebrates after a touchdown during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images
“The 2023 Chiefs lost to the Aidan O’Connell-led Raiders in Week 16. The 2022 Chiefs lost to the Matt Ryan-led Colts, who finished 4-12-1. The Panthers, who got two fourth-down touchdown passes from Bryce Young and some help from a rainy day, might just be that for Los Angeles”.
It isn’t even like Young played a perfect game, as he barely got over 200 yards passing, but he was hyper-efficient on 4th downs. Two of the Panthers’ touchdown scores were on 4th downs, and they were not afraid to roll the dice on the Rams’ defense.
Nov 16, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay on the sidelines during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
“The Rams lead the NFL in offensive success rate, are 10th in defensive success rate, have a Super Bowl-winning quarterback in Matthew Stafford, two superstar wide receivers in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, arguably the NFL’s best coach in Sean McVay and a defense that can create havoc and rarely allows big plays”.
The Panthers may have exposed some of the Rams’ defensive weaknesses, but they only won by three points, a game in which Stafford caused three turnovers. He’s still playing at an MVP-caliber level, and it isn’t like they’re dealing with heavy injuries that will prevent them from going on a run.
How To Bounce Back
Nov 23, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) reacts after a first down against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Though the Rams look like they can blow out the Arizona Cardinals on paper, they can’t afford to take their Week 14 opponent lightly. This is a divisional game, and the Rams have played every divisional game close this season, excluding their rematch with the 49ers.
The Rams can bounce back by limiting their mistakes and shutting down an offense led by Jacoby Brissett. If Stafford wants to win an MVP award this season, he cannot have another game like he had against the Panthers. He was already leapfrogged by Drake Maye as the favorite to win the award; another poor performance will create even more separation between them.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) looks back to the bench for a play call during their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at State Farm Stadium on Nov. 23, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Brissett has been able to catch teams off guard with his ability to air the ball out, with him not having a game this season with under 250 passing yards. The Rams’ secondary has been susceptible to big performances this season, and Brissett can bring the pressure and put them in uncomfortable situations. As long as Stafford isn’t responsible for three takeaways, I think the Rams can rely on their run game and elite wide receivers to win the game on the road.
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