Something to Build On: Takeaways from Panthers Wild Card Loss Vs Rams

The Carolina Panthers came within possessions on both sides of the ball from pulling off the improbable. 

They were leading the heavily favored Los Angeles Rams by four points down the stretch, and all they needed was more pressure and checkdowns to move on.

Carolina ends the season in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Considering the shape the franchise has been in, this statement seemed far-fetched.  

Given their 8-9 record and the manner in which a few of those losses were incurred, the Panthers are a team in the process of becoming an NFC contender. They are still learning how to win and close out games.

Here are the takeaways from the Panthers’ 31-34 Wild Card loss at the ‘Bank.

Soft Coverage. Hard Consequences 

The adage of how a prevent defense prevents you from winning once again proves true. Ejiro Evero’s man coverage was able to pressure Matthew Stafford but he decided to deploy soft zone coverage in the two-minute warning in order to avoid giving up a big play. Ironically, the Panthers defense conceded a series of big plays as Stafford took the Rams on a game winning 71-yard drive.  So why did the Panthers deploy soft coverage only to give up big plays? 

According to Panthers head coach Dave Canales, Stafford and the Rams’ offense were picking up on the blitzes.

I understand the need to mix up coverages and that any pressure will be picked up based on patterns, but the alternative couldn’t be Stafford throwing darts down the middle, especially with a defense that’s had trouble guarding tight ends and the seams all season.  I keep coming back to the notion of Carolina running a big nickel package with three safeties. The fact that Jaycee Horn was sidelined would’ve been a great time to deploy the set for more versatility to protect the middle of the field. 

Instead, Carolina’s defense left the middle exposed, and Stafford capitalized. 

Coker’s Emergence

If Jalen Coker hasn’t made his claim to the WR 2 spot before he certainly did Saturday, recording nine catches for 134 yards and a touchdown. The undrafted rookie out of Holy Cross took 2024 first-rounder Xavier Legette’s spot as Tetairola McMillian’s compliment down the stretch of the season. This performance solidifies it. 

Rams’ Three TE Set Exposes Defensive flaw,

Sean McVay deployed the majority of his offensive snaps out of 11 personnel with three receivers until the third quarter.

The plan was to attack the tandem of Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson along the perimeter. To their credit, they forced McVay, Stafford, and the Rams’ offense to make adjustments.

The Rams rolled with a 13 personnel grouping and attacked Carolina’s linebackers and safeties. Stafford completed 12 out of his 15 passes in the fourth quarter using this grouping. Carolina played shell, and McVay made an effort to attack the inside part of the field with success. This grouping exploited the Panthers’ weakness at linebacker and safety. Stafford’s touchdowns came at the expense of either a linebacker or a safety.

As the Panthers move forward, I look for them to solidify the defense by addressing the need for linebackers and safeties.

True Grit

The Rams’ defense pressured and sacked Bryce Young in the first half, but settled in as the game progressed. Young finished 21-of-40 for 264 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also had a rushing touchdown.

Beyond the numbers, Young capitalized on the Rams’ mistakes – leaning on his strength in the short passing game when the run game struggled. He found ways to extend plays.

After Stafford’s drive, Young missed an opportunity by taking downfield shots instead of completing quick passes and taking the opportunity to stop the clock, but came up short. 

In the postgame, Canales expressed nothing but praise for Young’s playoff debut.

“Just gritty, tough,” he said of Young. “ To give us a chance to talk the ball all the way down after the punt, a couple of plays, and then punch it in with the beautiful throw to Coker at the end to take the lead was unbelievable. I just can’t say enough about the way Bryce stepped up and played in this game.”