The theme of the College Football Playoff this year was rematches from the regular season playing out with much higher stakes. Evidently, the NFL’s Wild Card Weekend is copying that theme on Saturday with a matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Carolina Panthers.
It was just a few weeks ago that these two teams met up at Bank of America Stadium. Thanks to some huge defensive takeaways and a great performance from Bryce Young, Carolina stunned Los Angeles in a 31-28 victory. That outcome helped set the stage for this rematch on Wild Card Weekend.
Now, let’s dive into some of our bold predictions for the Rams vs Panthers game.
Matthew Stafford Throws 3 Touchdowns
A big part of the problem with Carolina’s defense is its inability to generate consistent pressure. In Week 13, per PFF, the Panthers pressured Stafford on just 13.3 percent of his dropbacks. When he was unpressured, however, Stafford went 17-of-26 with 239 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions and a 88.5 QB rating. However, those numbers are an outlier in comparison to his season-long production
In the regular season, Stafford posted the fourth-highest QB rating (119.5) with a league-high 35 passing touchdowns from a clean pocket. He might also have Davante Adams back in this game. We do not expect Stafford to turn it over three times against versus Carolina, including an interception off a deflected pass in the end zone. The NFL MVP candidate will spread the football around.
Bryce Young Throws an INT, Finishes Under 200 Net Passing Yards
Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has shown more than enough this season to warrant his fifth-year option being picked up by the franchise. Across his final seven regular-season starts, he completed 66% of his passes with a 12-4 TD-INT line, averaged 7.2 yards per attempt and put up a 98.1 QB rating. The stretch includes a three-touchdown game with a 147.1 QB rating versus Los Angeles.
What the Rams can do is generate pressure. Young completed 48.1% of his passes with one passing touchdown and averaged just 5.6 yards per attempt when pressured from Weeks 9 through 18. Carolina’s offensive line is healthier now, but we expect Chris Shula to have the Rams defensive front playing at its best in this rematch.
Jalen Coker Puts up 60+ Yards, Find the End Zone
When Young wasn’t pressured by Los Angeles back in Week 13, he picked them apart as evidenced by an 82.4% completion rate with 198 passing yards (11.6 yards per attempt) and three touchdowns. Jalen Coker was the biggest beneficiary of that, and it stands to reason he can thrive again on Wild Card Weekend. Coker, standing at 6-foot-3, has three touchdowns in his last five games and he’s cleared 40-plus receiving yards in four of those five contests. Facing a defense that has surrendered 231.8 passing yards and 2.2 passing touchdowns per game in the last six weeks, we’re banking on a big day from Coker.
Los Angeles Rams Rush for 150+ Yards
In their last meeting against Carolina, running backs Kyren Williams (5.5 yards per carry) and Blake Corum (11.6 yards per carry) combined for 153 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. That’s in line with the woes this Panthers defense has had at defending the run as of late, allowing 144.8 rushing yards per game and a 4.5 yards-per-carry average in the last 10 contests. Sean McVay is a maestro at dialing up an offense to exploit his opponent’s biggest vulnerabilities. The game plan last time out against Carolina worked, and there’s no reason to deviate from it in this rematch.
Related: NFL Wild Card Round Predictions, including Rams vs Panthers Winner and Score
