Rams Clips
The Rams have taken advantage of a Panthers giveaway to increase their lead.
Matthew Stafford hit Puka Nacua with a backward pass for the receiver’s second touchdown of the contest, giving Los Angeles a 14-0 advantage.
Los Angeles picked up its first takeaway of the game on first-and-10 from the L.A. 44, as Bryce Young’s pass intended for Jalen Coker was tipped by Quentin Lake and picked off by Cobie Durant. He returned it 11 yards, but the Rams got 15 more from an unnecessarily roughness penalty called on tight end Mitchell Evans.
From there, the Rams converted third-and-2 with a pass from Matthew Stafford to Puka Nacua to bring up first-and-goal from the 9-yard line.
Nacua then scored on a short, backward pass to the left, breaking tackles to get in the end zone for his second touchdown reception of the game.
Stafford has started the game 6-of-6 for 74 yards. Five of his six passes have gone to Nacua for 59 yards.
The Panthers have a significant developing injury situation along their offensive line during the first half of their wild card matchup with the Rams.
Left tackle Ikem Ekwonu has been ruled out with a knee injury.
Ekwonu went down on Carolina’s second possession on a second-down sack. Via reporters on the scene, Ekwonu was able to walk off gingerly before heading to the sideline medical tent. The FOX broadcast subsequently showed Ekwonu being driven to the locker room on the back of a cart for further evaluation. The Panthers ruled him out quickly thereafter.
Ekwonu started 15 games for the Panthers this season.
Yosh Nijman entered the game at left tackle to replace Ekwonu.
The Rams were heavy favorites for Saturday’s wild card matchup with the Panthers.
So far, they look the part.
Matthew Stafford hit Puka Nacua for a 14-yard touchdown, giving Los Angeles an early 7-0 lead.
The Panthers received the opening kickoff and with an aggressive mindset, went for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 45-yard line. But But Carolina didn’t get it when Bryce Young’s pass short pass along the right sideline was broken up by Quentin Lake — who was out due to injury for the regular-season matchup between the two teams.
With a short field in front of them, the Rams faced little resistance getting down the field in just four plays. Nacua caught all three of Stafford’s targets for 40 yards on the possession, with Kyren Williams also taking a 5-yard carry.
The Rams did not face a third down on the possession.
The Rams will not have one of their young tight ends for Saturday’s wild card matchup against the Panthers.
Rookie Terrance Ferguson is officially inactive for the game after he was listed as questionable for the contest. Ferguson was listed as a non-participant on Tuesday and Wednesday before a limited session on Thursday.
Cornerback Josh Wallace (ankle) is also inactive for Los Angeles after he was listed as quesitonable.
Right guard Kevin Dotson (ankle) and receiver Jordan Whittington (knee) were previously ruled out.
The Panthers, however, have a healthy 53-man roster.
Los Angeles’ full list of inactives is: Ferguson, Dotson, Wallace, Whittington, cornerback Deion Kendrick, cornerback Darious Williams, and quarterback Stetson Bennett.
Carolina’s inactives are linebacker Krys Barnes, center Nick Samac, defensive tackle Jared Harrison-Hunte, receiver David Moore, and defensive end LaBryan Ray.
Kickoff between the Rams and Panthers is set for 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
The Dolphins haven’t been to a Super Bowl since their coach’s last name was Shula. So why not interview a coach with the last name Shula?
Per multiple reports, the Dolphins have requested permission to interview Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula. He’s the grandson of legendary Dolphins coach Don Shula.
Chris, 39, joined the Rams in 2017, as part of head coach Sean McVay’s initial staff. Shula became the defensive coordinator in 2024, replacing former Falcons head coach Raheem Moore.
Chris Shula is also the son of David Shula, who was hired to coach the Bengals at the age of 33. He went 19-52 in four-plus seasons.
Don, of course, is the all-time winningest coach in pro football history, with 328 regular-season wins and 347 total wins, including the postseason.
He became head coach of the Colts at 33, taking them to Super Bowl III. After joining the Dolphins in 1970, Don Shula led Miami to three straight Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl VII and Super Bowl VIII. His 1972 team went 17-0.
The Rams finished 17th in total defense, allowing 327.5 yards per game. They were tenth in points allowed, at 20.4. They begin their 2025 playoff run later today, with a wild-card game at Carolina.
The calendar says January. The weather forecast in Charlotte screams September.
Depending on which unreliable weather forecasting app you rely on (and they all sort of suck these days), there’s a threat of thunderstorms for Saturday’s Rams-Panthers wild-card contest. Which opens the door to the possibility of a delay, before or during the game.
And that could create potential chaos for the NFL.
Rams-Panthers is due to begin at 4:30 p.m. ET, on Fox. Packers-Bears streams on Prime Video at 8:00 p.m. ET. If lightning delays the early game, the NFL says it can slide the late-game kickoff by 10 minutes.
So there’s a chance of two playoff games going on at once, depending on whether and to what extent Rams-Panthers is delayed by Mother Nature. Which could prompt some to utter a different phrase that begins with “muther.”
Especially in Chicago and Milwaukee, where the Packers-Bears game is due to be televised on the Fox affiliate that will be broadcasting Rams-Panthers.
Matthew Stafford’s 2025 regular season began with a real question as to whether he’d even be able to play, thanks to a back problem that popped up between the end of the offseason program and the launch of training camp.
It has ended with his first ever first-team All-Pro honor.
Usually, the first-team All-Pro quarterback becomes the MVP. That trend was broken last year, when Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was named first-team All-Pro but Bills quarterback Josh Allen won the league MVP award.
That hadn’t happened since 1987, when 49ers quarterback Joe Montana was the first-team All-Pro but Broncos quarterback John Elway was named MVP. (49ers receiver Jerry Rice likely pulled some of Montana’s votes away.)
And to the extent that the difference in first-place votes (31 for Stafford and 18 for Maye) would suggest Stafford will be the no-brainer MVP, Jackson had 30 first-place votes last year and Allen had 18.
So it’s still possible that Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (or someone else) will win the MVP award. However, the bulk of history on this specific issue points to Stafford eventually being named NFL MVP.
Of course, there’s a far bigger prize that any football player would prefer over the regular-season MVP award: Super Bowl champion and, ideally, Super Bowl MVP.
That has happened only twice since 1999, when Rams quarterback Kurt Warner won the double MVP prizes. Three years ago, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes ended a 23-year gap between the regular-season MVP winning the Super Bowl and, for Mahomes (like Warner), the Super Bowl MVP award.
Browns defensive end Myles Garrett set the single-season sack record during the 2025 season and he also became one of three unanimous choices for the Associated Press All-Pro team.
All 50 voters selected Garrett as one of their choices at edge rusher in this year’s voting. Those voters also unanimously selected Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua and Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba for this year’s first team.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford got the nod over Drake Maye at quarterback, which opens up the possibility of a split with MVP for the second straight season. Stafford got 31 votes while the Patriots quarterback got 18 with Bills quarterback Josh Allen getting the other one.
Stafford joins kicker Gary Anderson as the only players to be named a first-team All-Pro for the first time in their 17th season or later.
The full All-Pro teams appear below:
First team
Offense
Quarterback — Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Running Back — Bijan Robinson, Atlanta
Fullback — Kyle Juszczyk, San Francisco
Wide Receivers — Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams; Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle; Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati
All Purpose — Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco
Tight End — Trey McBride, Arizona
Left Tackle — Garrett Bolles, Denver
Left Guard — Joe Thuney, Chicago
Center — Creed Humphrey, Kansas City
Right Guard — Quinn Meinerz, Denver
Right Tackle — Penei Sewell, Detroit
Defense
Edge Rushers — Myles Garrett, Cleveland; Will Anderson Jr., Houston; Micah Parsons, Green Bay
Interior Linemen — Jeffery Simmons, Tennessee; Zach Allen, Denver
Linebackers — Jack Campbell, Detroit; Jordyn Brooks, Miami
Cornerbacks — Derek Stingley Jr., Houston; Quinyon Mitchell, Philadelphia
Slot cornerback — Cooper DeJean, Philadelphia
Safeties — Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore; Kevin Byard, Chicago
Special Teams
Placekicker — Will Reichard, Minnesota
Punter — Jordan Stout, Baltimore
Kick Returner — Ray Davis, Buffalo
Punt Returner — Chimera Dike, Tennessee
Special Teamer — Devon Key, Denver
Long Snapper — Ross Matiscik, Jacksonville
Second team
Offense
Quarterback — Drake Maye, New England
Running Back — James Cook, Buffalo
Fullback — Patrick Ricard, Baltimore
Wide Receivers — George Pickens, Dallas; Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit; Chris Olave, New Orleans
All Purpose — Bijan Robinson, Atlanta
Tight End — Kyle Pitts, Atlanta
Left Tackle — Trent Williams, San Francisco
Left Guard — Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis
Center — Aaron Brewer, Miami
Right Guard — Chris Lindstrom, Atlanta
Right Tackle — Darnell Wright, Chicago
Defense
Edge Rushers — Brian Burns, New York Giants; Danielle Hunter, Houston; Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit
Interior Linemen — Leonard Williams, Seattle; Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh
Linebackers — Devin Lloyd, Jacksonville; Ernest Jones IV, Seattle
Cornerbacks — Patrick Surtain II, Denver; Devon Witherspoon, Seattle
Slot cornerback — Derwin James, Los Angeles Chargers
Safeties — Jessie Bates III, Atlanta; Talanoa Hufanga, Denver; Xavier McKinney, Green Bay (Hufanga and McKinney were tied for the second-team spot)
Special teams
Placekicker — Brandon Aubrey, Dallas
Punter — Michael Dickson, Seattle
Kick Returner — Kavontae Turpin, Dallas
Punt Returner — Marcus Jones, New England
Special Teamer — Del’Shawn Phillips, Los Angeles Chargers
Long Snapper — Andrew DePaola, Minnesota
The 2025 Carolina Panthers are making history. And I don’t mean the good kind.
Via NBC Sports research, the Panthers are the fifth team in NFL history to make the playoffs with a losing record in a non-strike-shortened season.
Carolina won the NFC South, winning eight and losing nine. Atlanta’s Week 18 win over the Saints triggered a three-way tie between the Falcons, Panthers, and Buccaneers at 8-9. The Panthers won the tiebreaker with the best record in the six-game round-robin among the three teams.
Other teams to make the playoffs despite a losing record were the 2022 Buccaneers (8-9), the 2020 Washington Football Team (7-9), the 2014 Panthers (7-8-1), and the 2010 Seahawks (7-9). Those teams were 2-2 in the wild-card round; the 2010 Seahawks beat the Saints in the Beastquake game, and the 2014 Panthers beat the Cardinals.
The Panthers are 10.5-point underdogs at home on Saturday against the Rams. During the regular season, the Panthers beat the Rams in Charlotte, despite being 9.5-point underdogs.
The Panthers activated offensive guard Robert Hunt off injured reserve on Friday, the team announced.
Hunt has not played since tearing a biceps tendon in Week 2 against Arizona but has practiced the past two weeks.
“I feel good,” Hunt said earlier this week, via Darin Gantt of the team website. “If I get the opportunity, I’ll be ready.”
The Panthers have removed Hunt from the injury report after listing him as questionable on Thursday. So, he is expected to play in Saturday’s playoff game against the Rams.
His return will create the 12th different combination of starting lines this season.
The Panthers did rule out offensive guard Chandler Zavala, who is on injured reserve with a calf injury.
