Bank of America Stadium hasn’t seen a finish like this in years. The Los Angeles Rams and Carolina Panthers played a game that swung five times before Matthew Stafford found Colby Parkinson with 38 seconds left, sealing a 34-31 win that sent the Rams into the NFC Divisional Round and ended Carolina’s surprise playoff run. If you’re searching for los angeles rams vs carolina panthers match player stats, you’re probably trying to answer one simple question: who actually won the individual battles inside this game? Below is the complete breakdown, position by position, with the numbers that mattered most.
This wasn’t a blowout decided in the first quarter. It was a back-and-forth fight where a rookie quarterback playing on a losing team nearly knocked off a 13-win favorite. Understanding the player stats from this game tells you more about both franchises than the final score alone ever could.
Who Led the Game in Stats?
Matthew Stafford was the leading passer for the Rams, completing 24 of 42 passes for 304 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Puka Nacua led all players in yards from scrimmage with 125 (111 receiving, 14 rushing) and scored twice. For Carolina, Bryce Young threw for 264 yards and ran for a touchdown, while Jalen Coker was the Panthers’ top receiver with 134 yards on 9 catches.
Game Summary Before the Stats
Carolina hosted the Rams in the opening game of the NFL playoffs, and Los Angeles came in as roughly 10.5-point favorites. That line looked accurate early — the Rams jumped out to a 14-0 lead behind a Stafford-to-Nacua touchdown and a Nacua rushing score off a backward pass. But Carolina’s defense forced a couple of Rams miscues, and Bryce Young answered with a scrambling 16-yard touchdown run, the second-longest of his career, to cut the gap to 17-14 by halftime.
The second half turned into a track meet. Carolina took a 24-20 lead in the fourth quarter on a short Chuba Hubbard touchdown run, then extended it to 31-27 after Jalen Coker’s touchdown catch. That set up the finish everyone will remember: Stafford completing six of his final seven throws on a 71-yard scoring drive, capped by a back-shoulder strike to Parkinson in the corner of the end zone.
Los Angeles Rams Player Stats
Passing
| Player | Cmp/Att | Yards | TD | INT | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Stafford | 24/42 | 304 | 3 | 1 | 93.7 |
Stafford’s day wasn’t clean from start to finish — he was banged up late in the second quarter and had stretches where the offense stalled — but his fourth quarter salvaged the game. He completed 12 of 15 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns in the final period alone, a stretch that turned a four-point deficit into a road playoff win. It was also a milestone night for the veteran: Stafford passed Kurt Warner for the most postseason passing yards and completions in franchise history.
Rushing
| Player | Attempts | Yards | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyren Williams | 13 | 57 | 0 | 8 |
| Blake Corum | 11 | 45 | 0 | 8 |
| Puka Nacua | 3 | 14 | 1 | 5 |
Williams and Corum split carries fairly evenly, and while neither found the end zone on the ground, Williams converted a critical fourth-and-one late in the game that kept the go-ahead drive alive before he caught a 13-yard touchdown pass three plays later.
Receiving
| Player | Targets | Receptions | Yards | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puka Nacua | 18 | 10 | 111 | 1 | 18 |
| Davante Adams | 13 | 5 | 72 | 0 | 23 |
| Tyler Higbee | 3 | 2 | 45 | 0 | 36 |
| Colby Parkinson | 3 | 2 | 34 | 1 | 19 |
| Kyren Williams | 2 | 2 | 18 | 1 | 13 |
| Blake Corum | 2 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 9 |
| Konata Mumpfield | 1 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Nacua was the engine of the Rams passing game all night, drawing 18 targets — more than double any other receiver. He also had a costly drop in the second quarter that would have extended the lead, a reminder that even the league’s leading receiver has an off moment or two in a playoff atmosphere. He entered the game having led the NFL in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns during the regular season, so Carolina’s defense knew exactly where the ball was going and still couldn’t stop him.
Carolina Panthers Player Stats
Passing
| Player | Cmp/Att | Yards | TD | INT | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryce Young | 21/40 | 264 | 1 | 1 | 71.2 |
Young’s rushing production told as much of the story as his passing line. His 16-yard scramble for a touchdown was the longest postseason rushing score by a quarterback in Panthers history, and he nearly delivered a second signature moment on the Panthers’ final possession before a Quentin Lake pass breakup on fourth-and-10 ended the drive and the game.
Rushing
| Player | Attempts | Yards | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chuba Hubbard | 13 | 46 | 2 | 8 |
| Bryce Young | 3 | 24 | 1 | 16 |
| Rico Dowdle | 5 | 9 | 0 | 8 |
| Trevor Etienne | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
Hubbard was Carolina’s most consistent weapon, scoring twice on short-yardage runs and giving the Panthers a ground game to lean on when the passing attack stalled.
Receiving
| Player | Targets | Receptions | Yards | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Coker | 12 | 9 | 134 | 1 | 52 |
| Tetairoa McMillan | 7 | 5 | 81 | 0 | 22 |
| Tommy Tremble | 3 | 3 | 22 | 0 | 11 |
| Xavier Legette | 4 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Chuba Hubbard | 4 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 7 |
| Rico Dowdle | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Coker was the biggest surprise of the game for Carolina, hauling in nine catches for 134 yards and the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter, a career-best performance at the worst possible time for the Rams.
Team Stats Comparison
| Category | Rams | Panthers |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 411 | 333 |
| Passing Yards | 304 | 264 |
| Rushing Yards | 116 | 83 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of Possession | 31:46 | 28:14 |
| Third/Fourth Down Stops | 3 (4th down) | 1 (4th down) |
| Penalties | 9 for 83 yards | 4 for 35 yards |
The Rams out-gained Carolina by nearly 80 total yards and won the turnover battle, which usually settles a game like this comfortably. Instead, Carolina’s efficiency in the red zone and its ability to convert short-yardage situations kept the Panthers within striking distance until the final minute.
Key Individual Storylines
- Puka Nacua’s dual-threat impact. Ten catches, a rushing score, and a receiving score made him the most complete offensive player on the field, even accounting for the drop.
- Bryce Young’s growth as a runner. His scrambling touchdown and his overall mobility gave Carolina answers when the pass rush closed in.
- Jalen Coker’s breakout. A relatively unheralded name before kickoff, Coker finished as Carolina’s leading receiver by a wide margin.
- Stafford’s fourth-quarter surge. Twelve of fifteen passing for 143 yards and two scores in the final period is the kind of stat line that decides playoff games.
- Special teams and field position. Carolina’s Ryan Fitzgerald hit a 46-yard field goal, and the Panthers’ punt unit tied a franchise postseason record by landing all three punts inside the 20.
Final Thoughts
Individual stats rarely tell the full story of a playoff game like this one, but in this case they line up almost perfectly with what happened on the field. Stafford and Nacua were the difference-makers for a Rams team that needed every one of their fourth-quarter plays to survive. Young and Coker gave Carolina a real chance to pull off the upset and showed why the Panthers, despite a losing regular-season record, weren’t an easy out. For anyone tracking los angeles rams vs carolina panthers match player stats heading into future meetings between these teams, this game set a high bar for what both rosters are capable of producing under pressure.
FAQs
Who won the Rams vs Panthers Wild Card game?
The Los Angeles Rams won 34-31 over the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Wild Card Round, completing a comeback with a touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Colby Parkinson in the final minute.
What were Matthew Stafford’s stats against the Panthers?
Stafford finished 24 of 42 passing for 304 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, with a passer rating of 93.7. He was particularly efficient in the fourth quarter, going 12 of 15 for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
How many catches did Puka Nacua have?
Nacua caught 10 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown, while also adding a 5-yard rushing touchdown, giving him 125 total yards from scrimmage and two scores in the game.
What was Bryce Young’s stat line in the loss?
Young completed 21 of 40 passes for 264 yards with one touchdown and one interception through the air, and added 24 rushing yards and a touchdown on three carries, including a 16-yard scoring scramble.
Who led the Panthers in receiving yards?
Jalen Coker led Carolina with 9 receptions for 134 yards and a touchdown, ahead of Tetairoa McMillan’s 81 yards on 5 catches.
Did the Rams advance in the playoffs after this game?
Yes. The win moved the Rams to 13-5 on the season and sent them to the NFC Divisional Round, where they faced the Chicago Bears.
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