ClutchPoints
The Carolina Panthers and their fans will mourn Saturday’s 34-31 loss to the Los Angeles Rams for a while, but when the playoff heartbreak subsides, they should be able to appreciate an important development that came out of this hard-fought NFC Wild Card matchup. Jalen Coker posted the best game of his young NFL career.
The 2024 undrafted wide receiver missed more than a month of the regular season, limiting him to 33 receptions for 394 yards and three touchdowns. He made up for lost time against LA, however. Coker totaled nine catches for 134 yards and a clutch seven-yard touchdown that put the Panthers on top with less than three minutes remaining on the game clock. The 24-year-old was on the losing side, but he opened fans’ eyes inside Bank of America Stadium.
Is this merely a fluky eruption that has been known to happen from time to time during the playoffs, or did Coker experience a genuine breakthrough in the final game of his second NFL season? Carolina has a long time to ponder that question, but his performance is certainly worth praising.
PANTHERS LEAD!
Bryce Young with a DIME to Jalen Coker for the TD
Panthers lead by 4 with 2:39 remaining in the fourth!
pic.twitter.com/VEnerMnwSp— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 11, 2026
The Panthers feel they can trust Offensive Rookie of the Year contender Tetairoa McMillan to lead the WR room following an impressive season, but quarterback Bryce Young could still use some help. If Coker can build on Saturday’s playoff gem and become a consistently productive secondary target, then this squad could be quite exciting.
Carolina would definitely prefer if this game became known as the day Jalen Coker turned a corner rather than one of the most agonizing losses in recent franchise history.
The post The legend of Panthers’ Jalen Coker grew with diving TD grab vs. Rams appeared first on ClutchPoints.
