Jan. 10, 2026, 2:30 a.m. PT
The Los Angeles Rams are three wins away from reaching the Super Bowl, and it all starts on Saturday afternoon with a game against the Carolina Panthers – one of just five teams that beat the Rams during the regular season.
As the No. 5 seed, the Rams are on the road, but they’re still big favorites over the Panthers. They’re laying 10.5 points on the spread, which is great news historically; teams favored by at least 10 points in the wild-card round are 12-1 all-time.
The Rams aren’t looking past the Panthers and Chris Shula admitted they’re a team very capable of beating them, as they did in Week 13, but this is also a game the Rams should certainly win to advance to the divisional round and move one step closer to their ultimate goal.
Stream Rams vs. PanthersRams vs. Panthers odds, money line, over/under
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Saturday
Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.Moneyline: Rams -625 | Panthers +450Spread: Rams -10.5 (-110) | Panthers +10.5 (-110)Over/under: 46 (O/U: -110)Rams vs. Panthers predictions, picks for NFL playoffs
Rams 31, Panthers 20: The Rams won’t lose twice to the 8-9 Panthers…right? It’s hard to see that happening, even after Los Angeles was tripped up three times as big favorites this season. They’ll handle the Panthers’ run game and avoid the costly turnovers that plagued them in Week 13, taking care of business in the wild-card round by beating the Panthers comfortably.
What this game will come down to is the Rams’ ability to protect the ball, stop the run and prevent big plays. All four of the Panthers’ touchdowns in Week 13 were at least 30 yards long, including two on fourth down that went for 33 and 43 yards. Those were the Panthers’ final two touchdowns of the afternoon, too.
The Rams gave it away three times (two interceptions, one lost fumble) in that loss, all of them proving to be costly by either taking points off the board or giving the Panthers a touchdown of their own on the pick-six.
In the postseason, anything can happen, but talent and coaching typically win out. The Rams have the edge in both areas and should advance to the next round.
Rams vs. Panthers time, TV channel todayKickoff time: 4:30 p.m. ETTV Channel: FOXLivestream: Fubo (free trial)
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