Here’s what Stafford needs on Saturday to be the most accomplished postseason quarterback in Rams history: one win, two completions, 134 yards passing, one passing touchdown. Not bad for a guy who landed in Los Angeles five years ago without a playoff victory to his name. Now, the only quarterback with more regular season wins as a Ram is Roman Gabriel.
Though Stafford has fileted the blitz this year, the Panthers don’t often send extras. They’re not a particularly disruptive defense, but we know tackle Derrick Brown has his moments. Linebackers profile as the position group to exploit, and few are better at it than the McVay-Stafford tandem.
When The Rams Are On Defense
There will never be another game like the one the Rams suffered on defense in Week 13 – at least there better not be. The Panthers went 10-of-18 on third-and-fourth down, scoring three explosive passing touchdowns in those money moments.
That good fortune and/or execution has evaporated lately – the Panthers converted just two of 19 third-down attempts in their final two games. They are the most aggressive fourth-down offense in football because they have to be – 27 conversions led the NFL.
One of those explosive fourth-quarter, fourth-down touchdowns belonged to Tetairoa McMillan, who should be the Offensive Rookie of the Year. The game-winner was his only catch that rainy afternoon against the Rams, but he led the Panthers (and all rookies) with 70 catches for 1,014 yards and seven receiving touchdowns.
Making his first playoff start, Bryce Young has been held below 206 passing yards in all but four games this year. He threw for a mere 54 last month in a home loss against the Seahawks. Nonetheless, he’s poised under pressure, he’s the first Panther with 20 passing touchdowns in a season since Cam Newton in 2018, and Carolina has improved by three wins in each season since selecting Young with the first pick of the 2023 Draft. (Sounds like Newton will be there to fire up the fans at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday.)
As for the running game, the Panthers may be stubborn with it – handing off 40 times against the Rams! –but you cannot categorize them as productive. Carolina finished the year rated 26th in rushing efficiency, measured by DVOA.
Here are a few other bits of context that caught my eye from the week of preparation, including this telling observation about the coaching composition. Sean McVay went from a long run as “youngest coach in the league” to being older than all but two of his competitors in the NFC playoff field.