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The Los Angeles Rams escaped with their lives and a victory in their Wild Card meeting with the Carolina Panthers when quarterback Matthew Stafford came through with a pair of 4th quarter touchdown passes to secure a 34-31 triumph and advance to the divisional playoffs.
Stafford hit tight end Colby Parkinson with a 19-yard TD pass and 38 seconds remaining to give the Rams the victory. Previously, the Panthers had taken the lead on a 7-yard TD pass from Bryce Young to Jalen Coker with 2:39 remaining. That touchdown came after the Panthers had blocked an Ethan Evans punt. The Panthers went 30 yards in 4 plays for the go-ahead score.
Rams head coach Sean McVay credited Stafford with keeping the Rams together and mounting the successful 7-play, 71-yard drive that gave the Rams the victory. “We made a lot of mistakes in this game and there are a lot of things that we have to clean up,” McVay said. “That’s on me. But I will say that when we needed it the most, we found a way to be at our best. Matthew orchestrated an unbelievable drive after the blocked punt. Matthew trusted his guys and they came through.”
The Rams quarterback got off to a great start before hitting a lull in the middle of the game. However, once the Panthers were able to come back and take a lead, Stafford refused to let the Rams fall apart. He completed 24 of 42 passes for 304 yards with 3 TDs and 1 interception.
Puka Nacua was once again his top receiver. He caught 10 passes for 111 yards with 1 touchdown reception. He also had a 5-yard run for a touchdown.
Bryce Young was undaunted for the Panthers in his first postseason game. He completed 21 of 40 passes for 264 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard had just 46 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns.
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