Nov 30, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers linebacker D.J. Wonnum (98) returns a recovered fumble during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Carolina Panthers to face Los Angeles Rams in NFC Wild Card Round

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated Jan 4, 2026 7:10 PM ET

The Carolina Panthers are NFC South champions, a sentence that felt very improbable after yesterday's letdown. They fell short of beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with a horrible playcall and disastrous refereeing hurting along with a poor offensive performance in the rain.

But thanks to the Atlanta Falcons, who repaid the fact that the Panthers swept them by winning today, the Panthers are NFC South champions. They had the tiebreaker in the three-way tie at 8-9, which is a very NFC South thing to happen.

Who will they play? The Los Angeles Rams game just concluded in a resounding victory, which was one of the final games of importance for the NFC playoffs. Now, the stage is officially set, and the Panthers have their matchup.

Panthers will host Rams for a second time in NFC playoffs

Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

The good news is that the Panthers are in the playoffs. They haven't been since 2017, and they haven't won the division since 2015. They went to the Super Bowl that year, if you were wondering.

The bad news is that they're now facing a really strong NFC West team, one of a few that won 12 or more games and made the playoffs. The other good news is that they already beat this team.

The San Francisco 49ers lost last night, and the Los Angeles Rams won today. That put the Rams as the fifth seed and the 49ers further down. The fourth seed, the Panthers, hosts the fifth seed, so the Rams will head back to Charlotte.

The Panthers improbably beat the Rams when they were the NFC's top seed, sort of sending them on a spiral. Prior to that game, they were 9-2 and atop the NFC. Now, they're 12-5 after winning in Week 18, so it's seemingly a worse team that is visiting the second time.

The Rams will be heavy favorites, and for good reason. There is a huge gap in talent and coaching. The Panthers are outclassed across the field. But, that didn't matter a few weeks ago. The Panthers upset them anyway.

Now, getting three Matthew Stafford turnovers, including a pick-six, is not likely to happen again, especially not in the playoffs. But the Rams are beatable, and the Panthers have firsthand experience doing it.

This article first appeared on Carolina Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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