4) Puka Nacua

Whether he was screaming untouched down the middle of the field, or bouncing through heavy traffic in the red zone, Nacua was nearly unstoppable on his way to 10 receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown. The only hiccup came when Nacua dropped a perfect pass from Stafford that would have almost certainly resulted in a touchdown in the waning seconds of the first half. But Nacua’s biggest contribution may have come when he turned into a defender, breaking up a would-be interception in the end zone with the Rams already trailing early in the fourth quarter. The drive continued and resulted in a touchdown, giving Los Angeles the lead back. That pass breakup may have saved the Rams season.

5) Colston Loveland

The rookie tight end was Caleb Williams’ preferred target, with eight receptions for 137 yards and the two-point conversion that made it a three-point deficit late in the game. He and Williams have years to grow together and Loveland is the backbone of the offense.

6) Jordan Love

He was on fire early and finished with 323 yards and four touchdowns. The Bears’ opportunistic defense didn’t force a turnover, but they pressured Love late. He, though, was the reason the Packers were in the game at all.

7) Bryce Young

The game plan called for downfield throws and Young, playing the first playoff game of his career, delivered over and over. Given an opening late in the first half when Los Angeles failed to convert a fourth down, Young led a five-play, 81-yard drive that took advantage of defensive errors and then scrambled 16 yards for the touchdown. The score pulled Carolina to within three points and breathed life into the Panthers after being outplayed for most of the first half. His perfectly placed pass over a defender’s shoulder to Coker in the corner of the end zone gave the Panthers a lead with 2:39 left. Under duress from the pass rush, he did not complete a pass on the Panthers’ final drive, but Young and the offense showed tremendous growth in this game, rallying from an early hole to give the Rams a scare. Young spent 2025 erasing doubt that he is the franchise’s future and he only underscored that on Saturday.

8) Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker

The Panthers’ future is bright with these young receivers. McMillan could be the Offensive Rookie of the Year and he finished with five receptions for 81 yards. But it was Coker, in his second season after going undrafted out of Holy Cross, on whom Young relied the most, catching nine passes for 134 yards and a touchdown that gave the Panthers a late lead.

9) Rams pass rush

Young was not pestered much on Saturday — he was sacked twice — and on the Panthers final drive, the Rams didn’t get Young down. But pressure was in his face on each of his first three dropbacks, forcing him to scramble out of the pocket to avoid a sack. That took precious seconds off the clock. Young threw four straight incompletions to end Carolina’s chance.

10) A great rivalry

The third installment of a bitter Bears-Packers rivalry produced another classic, completing a nail-biting trilogy that began on Dec. 7 and saw each game decided by seven points or fewer. The icy handshake between coaches, the fan who smuggled a cheese grater and a hunk of cheese into Soldier Field, the jaw-dropping plays. Thank goodness this rivalry is back.