Matthew Stafford knows why Rams lost to Panthers during regular season

The Carolina Panthers were massive 10.5-point underdogs when they earned an upset 31-28 win over the Los Angeles Rams back on Nov. 30. 

This coming Saturday, the 8-9 Panthers will welcome the 12-5 Rams back to Bank of America Stadium for a wild-card playoff showdown. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford recently shared that he knows what must happen to avoid suffering yet another surprising loss to the Panthers. 

Will the story of first Rams-Panthers game repeat itself?

"I’d like not to throw it to their team. I think that was the story of the game," Stafford explained, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "We moved the ball well in some areas, scored a couple in the red zone, did some nice things, ran it well, and just had the turnovers."

Specifically, Stafford tossed two first-quarter interceptions, the second of which was returned to the house for a touchdown, in the Week 13 defeat. He also lost a fumble with roughly 2:30 remaining in regulation of the contest. 

Some now view Stafford as the uncrowned Most Valuable Player for the regular season. He knows that plenty has changed about the Rams and Panthers over the past month and a half. 

"We’re a little bit of a different team now than we were back then," Stafford continued. "They’re healthier now than when we played them. So, there’s some things that are different from what happened when we played them." 

Panthers are different in one way that's bad for Rams

Specifically, Panthers star cornerback Jaycee Horn was in the concussion protocol on the final Sunday of November. Horn is on track to face the Rams this time around.

"It's just adding in an All-Pro-type player," Stafford said about going up against a Carolina secondary that will feature Horn, per Cameron DaSilva of Rams Wire/USA Today. "I think both of their corners are as good as you'll see in the league. They have unique skill sets to themselves. They play to their strengths. Their defense helps those guys play to their strength and they are really good football players. As far as the backend goes, it's about as good as we've seen all year, and it'll be a good challenge for us."

As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Rams as 10.5-point favorites over the Panthers. Carolina may use that line as bulletin-board material, considering what happened the last time certain insiders expected the Rams to dominate the Panthers.