Try as they did to avoid the playoffs, Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers (8-9) “won” the NFC South Sunday when Kirk Cousins and the Falcons knocked off Tyler Shough and the Saints. As a division winner, they earned a home game Wild Card weekend. The bad news? Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams (12-5) will be lining up opposite them this weekend in Charlotte.
All kidding aside, the task is large as the 10-point spread indicates. But wait! The Panthers played the Rams in Week 13…and won in Charlotte, 31-28. Bryce Young threw three touchdowns and forced the Rams into three turnovers that afternoon. History says a win is possible but replicating that outcome will not be easy for Carolina.
The Rams’ offense is elite. No team scored more points (518) than Los Angeles during the regular season. The Patriots were a distant second with a total of 490 points scored. Threats to score lurk all over the field for the Rams. Davante Adams scored 14 times this season. Puka Nacua found the endzone 10 times. Kyren Williams crossed the goal line ten times as well and Blake Corum contributed six touchdowns himself.
The Panthers ranked 27th in the regular season averaging just 18.3 points per game. Carolina’s game plan in Week 13 focused on the run game and it worked as the Panthers gained 164 yards on 40 carries. Rookie Tetairoa McMillan caught just one pass that day, but it was a 43-yard touchdown grab. He needs to be more involved in the rematch.
Carolina’s hope lies in again establishing the run game and keeping Bryce Young upright. If they do both those things they will shorten the number of possessions with an eye on keeping it within a score going into the fourth quarter. The Rams are the more talented team at maybe every position on the field. MVP-favorite Matthew Stafford needs to play like one. If he does, the Rams will roll to an easy, rocking chair win Wild Card weekend.
This is the Panthers first trip to the postseason since 2017. They lost in the Wild Card Round to New Orleans that season, 31-26. The Rams were in the playoffs last year. After defeating the Vikings 27-9 in the Wild Card round they lost 28-22 to the Eagles in the Divisional Round.
Lets take a deeper look at each of these teams, the quarterbacks, the injured list, and a few trends.
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Game Details and How to Watch the Rams at the Panthers live Saturday
- Date: Saturday, January 10, 2026
- Time: 4:30PM EST
- Site: Bank of America Stadium
- City: Charlotte, NC
- Network/Streaming: FOX
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Wild Card Game Odds: Rams at Panthers
The latest odds as of Tuesday courtesy of DraftKings:
- Moneyline: Los Angeles Rams (-550), Carolina Panthers (+410)
- Spread: Rams -10
- Total: 46.5 points
This game opened at Rams -10 with the Game Total set at 46.5.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NFL schedule!
Playoff History: Rams and Panthers
Rams
All-Time Playoff Record: 27-29
Wild Card Round Record: 6-7
Divisional Round Record: 12-10
NFC Conference Championship Record: 5-6
Super Bowl Appearances: 5 | Record: 2-3
Championship Record (pre-1966): 2-3
Panthers
All-Time Playoff Record: 9-8
Wild Card Round Record: 3-1
Divisional Round Record: 4-3
Conference Championship Record: 2-2
Super Bowl Appearances: 2 | Record: 0-2
These franchises have met in the playoffs just once. In the Divisional Round in 2003, the Panthers won 29-23 in double overtime. The then St. Louis Rams trailed 23-12 with under 3 minutes to play in regulation but lost eventually in the second extra session on a 69-yard touchdown from Jake Delhomme to Steve Smith.
Quarterback Matchup: Rams at Panthers
- Rams Starting QB: Matthew Stafford
Last Game: 1/4 vs. Arizona - 25-40, 259yds, 4TDs, 0INTs, Sacked 1 time, 1 carry for 3yds rushing
Season: 17GP, 388-597, 4707yds, 46TDs, 8INTs, Sacked 23 times, 29 carries for 1yd rushing - Panthers Starting QB: Bryce Young
Last Game: 1/3 at Tampa Bay – 24-35, 266yds, 2TDs, 1INT, Was not Sacked, 2 carries for -1yd rushing
Season: 16GP, 304-478, 3011yds, 23TDs, 11INTs, Sacked 27 times, 54 carries for 216yds rushing
Rams at Panthers: Team Stats and Betting Trends
- The Rams are 12-5 ATS this season
- The Panthers are 10-7 ATS this season
- The OVER has cashed in 10 of the Rams’ 17 games this season (10-7)
- The OVER has cashed in 7 of the Panthers’ 17 games this season (7-10)
- Rico Dowdle has 28 carries for 98 yards over his last 3 games with 0 TDs and 1 Fumble
- Chuba Hubbard has 15 carries for 49 yards over his last 3 games with 0 TDs and 1 Fumble
- Davante Adams has not played since December 14
- Matthew Stafford threw 8 INTs all season - 2 of the 8 were against Carolina in Week 13
Rams Player Injuries
- WR Davante Adams (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Saturday’s game
- WR Jordan Whittington (knee) is listed as questionable for Saturday’s game
- TE Terrance Ferguson (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Saturday’s game
- RG Kevin Dotson (ankle) is listed as questionable for Saturday’s game
- LB Shaun Dolac (knee) is listed as questionable for Saturday’s game
- OT Rob Havenstein (ankle) is eligible to be activated from the IR for Saturday’s game
Panthers Player Injuries
- DE Tershawn Wharton (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Saturday’s game
- DE Bobby Brown III (concussion) is listed as questionable for Saturday’s game
- LB Claudin Cherelus (calf) is listed as questionable for Saturday’s game
- CB Robert Rochell (concussion) is listed as questionable for Saturday’s game
- OG Chandler Zavala (calf) has been designated for return from the IR
Rotoworld Best Bets
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NFL calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, stadium information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Best bets our model is projecting for this week’s game between the Rams and the Panthers
- Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
- Spread: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Rams -10.
- Total: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total UNDER 46.5.
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