The Carolina Panthers drop wild-card matchup against the Los Angeles Rams

The Carolina Panthers' season came to an end Saturday after a late-game touchdown sealed a 34-31 loss against the Los Angeles Rams. Quarterback Bryce Young finished the game with one passing and rushing touchdown and threw for 264 yards.

In the opening quarter, the Panthers had a quick four-and-out drive to begin the game, leaving the Rams a good opportunity to take advantage. The Rams did so in four plays, when quarterback Matthew Stafford threw a short pass to wide receiver Puka Nacua to put Los Angeles up 7-0.

Carolina’s defense began to shine following the touchdown, forcing a crucial fourth-down stop when Treshawn Wharton and Claudin Cherelus halted the Rams’ rushing attack short of the first-down marker. The excitement was short-lived, as the next drive ended with an interception after a miscommunication, when a tipped pass from Bryce Young, intended for Jalen Coker, gave the Rams the ball back.

Moving into the second quarter, both teams began to find a rhythm offensively. The Rams capped a seven-play drive with a rushing touchdown by Puka Nacua to extend their lead to 14-0. Carolina was set up to score with just under nine minutes left in the half after the Rams were flagged for defensive pass interference, putting the Panthers in the red zone. The Panthers got on the board with a quick dash into the end zone by running back Chuba Hubbard to make it 14-7.

With just under two minutes left in the half, Carolina found itself down 17-7 and looking for a quick answer to keep the game close. Wide receiver Jalen Coker headlined the drive, as Young found him on a deep pass to the left side for 37 yards to move Carolina into Rams territory. On third down, Young escaped the pocket and ran in to cut the deficit to three points heading into halftime.

Heading into the third quarter, both teams were at a stalemate offensively after only combining for a pair of field goals and a few defensive stops. With just 1:20 to go in the third, the Panthers found life after cornerback Mike Jackson picked off a pass intended for Rams receiver Davante Adams to give the ball back to Carolina.

The Carolina offense took control in the final moments of the quarter and ended on a high note with a deep pass towards the middle of the field from Young to Coker for 52 yards. As the fourth quarter began, Young threw another quick pass to Coker, which was complete, but the Panthers were able to move further after a late hit from a Rams defender. Carolina finished the drive off with a dash into the endzone by Hubbard for his second touchdown of the night to give Carolina its first lead of the night, 24-20.

While Carolina’s defense had moments of brilliance throughout the game, the Rams responded with a quick touchdown. Los Angeles capped an 11-play drive with a 13-yard scoring run by Kyren Williams to make it 27-24 with under nine minutes left.

Later in the quarter, Carolina’s defense came up big again with a blocked punt with 4:18 left in the game, setting the Panthers up at the Rams’ 30-yard line. The Panthers took advantage, moving quickly into the red zone in four plays. Young found Coker again for a seven-yard touchdown to give Carolina a 31-27 lead with 2:39 remaining.

Despite the late touchdown by Coker, it wasn’t enough for the Panthers in their first playoff appearance in a decade. In his second season under head coach Dave Canales, the brief playoff run marks a step in the right direction for Carolina. During a postgame news conference, Canales described what players were feeling.

“There's such a mix of emotions in the locker room right now of guys who are proud of what we've accomplished and proud of what we've gotten to and sick about the missed opportunity that was right in front of us, and that's gonna sting, that's gonna sting, for a good while,” Canales said.

“I ask the guys to keep their heads up and, let this fuel you for what we're going into and. to understand how hard it is to work to get into this position where you get this kind of opportunity.”

The Panthers officially finish the season with an 8-9 record that includes five of those wins at home, an improvement compared to last season’s 5-12 record. As the Panthers move into the offseason, they’ll be the defending champions of the NFC South, hoping to repeat.