Carolina Panthers' fourth-down prowess keyed upset of Rams

After 13 weeks of play, the Carolina Panthers own a surprising 7-6 record. The team has won six of its last nine games after a 1-3 start. Five of those victories have been by exactly three points, include wins over the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers (at Lambeau Field) and now the Los Angeles Rams. Dave Canales’s squad played arguably its most complete game of the season in cooling off a team riding a six-game winning streak.

Led by Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle, the Carolina running game consistently frustrated the Rams’ defense. The Panthers ran the ball a season-high 40 times and gained 164 yards. Quarterback Bryce Young connected on 15-of-20 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Meanwhile, Derrick Brown and the Carolina defense forced Rams’ quarterback Matthew Stafford into three costly turnovers.

However, Canales’s decision to go for it on fourth down three times on the afternoon wound up playing a huge impact in the victory. In the second quarter with a 4th-and-1 on the Rams’ 24-yard-line, Dowdle ran six yards to keep a drive alive that eventually resulted in a 33-yard field goal Ryan Fitzgerald—giving Carolina a short-lived 17-14 lead.

On their first possession of the third quarter, Young faced 4th-and-3 on the Los Angeles’ 33-yard line. He connected with wide receiver Jalen Coker for a 33-yard touchdown, and the Panthers would go back in front, 24-21.