Rams survive Panthers’ epic upset bid with incredible Matthew Stafford-to-Colby Parkinson TD pass in final minute

The Los Angeles Rams didn’t play well. Matthew Stafford’s poor second half, after hitting his hand on a Carolina Panther’s helmet late in the first half, was a big part of that.

But with the Rams on the verge of suffering one of the biggest upsets in NFL playoff history, Stafford came up huge.

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After the Panthers blocked a punt and scored with 2:39 left to take a four-point lead, Stafford needed to lead a touchdown drive. He hit Colby Parkinson on a 19-yard touchdown pass with 38 seconds left to lift the Rams to a 34-31 win and avoid a massive loss to a Panthers team that went 8-9 during the regular season.

Stafford, who missed several passes after hitting his hand on a follow-through of a second-quarter pass, completed 6 of 7 passes on the final drive, including a great pass and catch by Parkinson for the win.

The Rams didn’t play great. Their defense gave up too much and the offense went very quiet after a fast start. But their Super Bowl hopes are still alive. Barely. Stafford, who might end up winning his first NFL MVP award this year, made sure of it.

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Panthers battle in 1st half

The way the Panthers started their first playoff game since the 2017 season, they were playing the role of the only team with a losing record in this season’s playoff field. That would change, but you wouldn’t have expected it based on their awful start.

Carolina was the fifth team in NFL history, excluding the 1982 strike-shortened season, to make the playoffs with a losing record. They went 8-9 and lost their season finale, but backed into the NFC South championship due to winning tiebreakers in a three-way tie atop the division. They looked overwhelmed in the first 28 or so minutes of the game.

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The Panthers had an unsuccessful fourth-and-1 on their first drive, offered little resistance on a Rams drive that ended with a Puka Nacua touchdown catch, and then Young threw an interception over the middle when Jalen Coker stopped on a crossing route. Chuba Hubbard had a bad drop when he was wide open on a third-and-2, rookie Trevor Etienne had a punt bounce off his facemask, and the Rams recovered in Carolina territory. And perhaps the worst news of all came when Carolina lost left tackle Ickey Ekwonu to a knee injury. Ekwonu was quickly ruled out.

The Panthers had waited almost 10 years since their last time hosting a playoff game, and nothing was going right. They were down 14-0 early in the second quarter on Nacua’s second touchdown. It looked like they might get blown out.

Carolina got some momentum after Etienne’s muffed punt. The Panthers defense held, forcing an incompletion when Stafford threw incomplete as the Rams went for it on fourth down in field-goal range.

That missed fourth down gave the Panthers life. Young hit a long pass to Jalen Coker and then on third-and-10 he scrambled, made a move in the open field and scored on a 16-yard run with 37 seconds left in the half. Passing on the field goal with the Panthers capitalizing afterward was a huge swing for the Panthers right before the half. The Rams almost grabbed the momentum right back in the final minute of the half but Nacua had what would have been a 46-yard touchdown go right off his hands.

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The Panthers had many things go wrong in the first half and still trailed just 17-14 at halftime. That was a big win for Carolina. A game that was projected as a blowout was entertaining and competitive. If it seemed like eventually the Rams would settle in and get that blowout, the second half was a surprise.

Rams struggle in 2nd half

Carolina’s defense kept the team in the game, which wasn’t on anyone’s radar coming in. Or, if you’d rather, an uneven performance by the Rams’ offense was keeping Carolina in the game.

Stafford’s hand seemed to be affecting him after he hit it on a pass late in the first half. He was following through on a pass when he hit Panthers lineman D.J. Wonnum’s arm, and Stafford immediately grabbed at his hand in pain. Davante Adams looked a little off in his return from a hamstring injury. It all added up to the Rams getting just a field goal in the third quarter. After the Panthers went for it on fourth down and missed late in the third quarter, Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson got a quick interception off Stafford.

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After Jackson’s interception, another long pass to Coker set up a Chuba Hubbard touchdown and the Panthers led 24-20 early in the fourth quarter. There have only been two double-digit road favorites in NFL playoff history. At the end of the 2010 season the Saints lost as a 10-point favorite to the Seahawks in the famous “Beastquake” game. It was the fourth quarter on Saturday night and the Rams were in danger of being a massive upset victim too.

The Rams took back the lead, after Nacua broke up what looked like a sure interception in the end zone and Los Angeles capitalized as Stafford hit Kyren Williams on a touchdown pass later in the drive. But the Rams weren’t in the clear.

The Rams’ special teams have been a mess — they fired special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn late in the season — and a big miscue came at an awful time. Isaiah Simmons, a former first-round pick of the Cardinals, blocked a punt with a little more than four minutes left. Carolina took over at the Rams’ 30-yard line. With 2:39 left Coker caught a 7-yard touchdown from Young and the Panthers led 31-27. It was the first playoff game of Young’s career, and he played one of his best games in the NFL.

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Stafford was just a little better. After the Panthers took that late lead, Stafford was nearly perfect on the next drive, and then the Panthers couldn’t get into field-goal range as Jimmy Horn dropped a pass on fourth down to end the threat.

The Rams could go on to win a Super Bowl. The talent is there and they spent most of the season playing at a championship level. But if people weren’t worried about the warning signs for the Rams late in the season, they might be now.