Rams vs. Panthers | NFL Wild Card Weekend: New Kids on the Block
Written by: Varun Sharma
Last Update: Sat Jan 10, 2026, 5:12 am ET
Read Time: 6 minutes
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Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers made the playoffs and despite finishing with the worst record amongst all playoff teams, they'll host the Los Angeles Rams here at Bank of America Stadium. This is the biggest spread of the weekend and probably for good reason. Let's jump right into the first Wild Card game of the year.
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Game Information
Matchup Information
- Location: Bank of America Stadium; Charlotte, NC
- Date: Saturday, January 10th, 2026
- Kickoff: 4:30 PM EST
Quarterback Matchup
- Los Angeles Rams: Matt Stafford (2025: 12-5 | 276.9 YPG | 46 TD | 8 INT)
- Carolina Panthers: Bryce Young (2025: 8-8 | 188.2 YPG | 23 TD | 11 INT)
Betting Odds
Odds via Lucky Rebel, an industry leader in the sports betting world.
Analysis & Breakdown
Kings of the South…Kind of
The Carolina Panthers finished the year under .500, with a negative point differential and on a loss to their division rivals. Despite that, the Panthers are hosting a playoff game and they're hosting the 12-win Rams.
Carolina's offense has been mediocre this year and it's why the team's entering the postseason with the worst point differential of all time, among playoff teams. The team ranks 27th in points, 24th in redzone efficiency, 26th in pass yards and 26th in yards per play. The team's struggled to put up points this year and it was their defense doing most of the heavy lifting.
Defensively, the team ranks 15th in points allowed, 14th in redzone defense and 15th in opponent pass yards. They did a good job when it mattered and held offenses like the Packers, Falcons and Buccaneers (x2) to fewer than 20 points. Carolina ranks 10th in forced turnovers this year but the team's pass rush has been abysmal.
The Panthers rank bottom five in pressure rate, sacks, QB hurries and QB hits. The team's done next to nothing to get pressure on their opponents and this week they face one of the best offensive lines in football. When these two teams met in Week 13, Stafford threw for 243 yards, was sacked just twice and had threw two interceptions. Young had 206 yards in the same game, committed 0 turnovers and threw 3 touchdowns; including the game winner.
The Panthers won that game outright as a 9.5-point dog and this week Vegas has them at closer to 10.5/11. Feels a tad disrepectful.
12-Wins & On the Road
The Rams might possibly be the only 12-win team to go on the road for Wild Card Weekend. Don't quote me on that but it feels like it's at least gotta be one of the few times it's happened.
Los Angeles ranks third in their division, despite winning 12 games and having the #1 offense in the NFL. The Rams average 30.5 points per game, convert 63.2% of their redzone drives into touchdowns (7th) and lead the league in both pass yards and first downs. The offense averages 126.6 rush yards per game (7th) and 6.2 yards per play (2nd). They don't turn the ball over and they've given up the fewest sacks in the NFL.
Matt Stafford's had an MVP-esque year and it's why he's now viewed as one of the two favorites to win the award. He's averaging 276.8 pass yards per game this year, completing 65% of his passes and he's thrown 46 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Despite all of that, the Rams still go on the road for the first round of the playoffs and it's all because of a blown 16-point lead to the Seahawks.
The Rams played the Seahawks in Week 16 and held a 16-point lead in the 4th quarter with a chance to all but lock up the division. Instead the Rams gave up two touchdowns, two 2-point conversions and lost the game in overtime. Now because of that collapse, they head to Charlotte for a rain filled game on the gridiron.
This is shaping up just like the first meeting between these two teams and I know the Rams are hoping for a different outcome this time.
Saturday's Best Bets
Kyren Williams o67.5 Rushing Yards (-110) | Lucky Rebel
The Rams come into this game as a 10.5-point favorite on most books and as the consensus pick to be playing next week. The team's looked great all year and despite losing two of their last three games, the offense has still looked great; especially Kyren Williams.
Williams is averaging 76.8 rush yards per game over his last five games, averaging 5.4 yards per carry and seeing 15.2 rush attempts per game. Earlier this year against Carolina, Williams ran for 72 yards on 13 rush attempts and averaged 5.5 yards per carry.
The Panthers rank 20th in rush yards allowed, 23rd in rush EPA/play allowed and 22nd in opponent yards per carry average. The team's struggled against opposing backs and it's why they rank 30th in tackles for a loss and 25th in rush yards allowed to opposing RBs.
Williams ranks 10th in the NFL in yards per carry, 3rd in first downs, 1st in run success rate and saw the lowest stuff rate of all starting RBs. Much of the credit should go to this offensive line, graded as the NFL's top run blocking squad. They've helped both Corum and Williams run free this year and have kept Matt Stafford upright and healthy. Williams cleared this line in both of he team's playoff games last year, averaging 17.5 rush attempts per game and 5.2 yards per carry.
The weather in Charlotte's also looking murky. Cold temperatures, tons of rain and 20-25 miles per hour wind. We saw this exact thing the last time these two met and in that game we saw the Rams run the ball 20 times and pass just 28 times. The weather had a definite impact on the Rams aerial attack and this week I'm predicting we see McVay rely heavily on his fourth year RB.
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