Carolina Panthers Logo Carolina Panthers

Panthers vs Rams game review: Ready for the moment

Panthers vs Rams game review: Ready for the moment

At this point, there is not much left to be said that describes the up and down nature of the Carolina Panthers 2025 season.

By almost any metric, any point of view, any anything – the Panthers should not have won this game. The Los Angeles Rams came in Sunday looking like the most formidable team in the NFL. A juggernaut with a chokehold on the top spot on most power rankings. Coming in to face a floundering Panthers squad that was down arguably 2 of their best 3 defensive players in Jaycee Horn and Tre’Von Moehrig. Not to mention...

Cat Scratch Reader Cat Scratch Reader
Brian Asks: What opinions have you changed since the off-season?

Brian Asks: What opinions have you changed since the off-season?

Hello CSR! Welcome to… wait, Brian Asks? “Didn’t you just change that title a few weeks ago?” You would be correct! However, its the bye week, meaning theoretically not much is going to change between now and their next game against the New Orleans Saints. So this week I decided to change the formula a little bit. Normally, Ask Brian is your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone, where you get to ask your questions, and see answers later in the week. However, I’d like to do something a little more fun since we have two weeks until the Panthers...

Cat Scratch Reader Cat Scratch Reader
Poll: How are we feeling about Bryce Young and Dave Canales?

Poll: How are we feeling about Bryce Young and Dave Canales?

The Carolina Panthers gained a signature upset win yesterday against the Los Angeles Rams. It is hard to understate how big of a deal it is for them to be playing meaningful football in the month of December instead of just talking about the upcoming NFL Draft.

Head coach Dave Canales and quarterback Bryce Young are the two most discussed members of the Panthers organization and they each had a significant hand in yesterday’s upset. Yes, the defense stepped up in a huge way despite injuries and the running game kept its legs even though it featured Chuba Hubbard over...

Cat Scratch Reader Cat Scratch Reader
The Optimist: Meaningful December football

The Optimist: Meaningful December football

Dave Canales finally committed to the run against a superior opponent. Bryce Young delivered a precise-when-it-mattered and mistake-free game. This was the game we hoped for against the San Francisco 49ers and, instead, it showed up a week late and right on time as the Panthers head into their much needed bye week. For all that this win would never have happened without the offense stepping up, we can’t get out of the first paragraph without throwing credit to the defense. Most importantly, this wasn’t a victory without Derrick Brown doing Derrick Brown things.

Now say it with me everybody:...

Cat Scratch Reader Cat Scratch Reader
The Scratching Post: 12/1-12/5

The Scratching Post: 12/1-12/5

Greetings, internet users. Welcome to The Scratching Post.

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.

You know the drill.

This is now an open thread

Cat Scratch Reader Cat Scratch Reader
NFC Playoff Picture: Carolina Panthers win, but can’t move into playoff spot

NFC Playoff Picture: Carolina Panthers win, but can’t move into playoff spot

The Carolina Panthers were in first place for a few minutes in the NFC South but after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won a moments after the Panthers did, the Bucs are back in front. The two teams play twice in the final three weeks of the season, so there is plenty of opportunity still.

Elsewhere in the playoff picture, the Chicago Bears ascended to the top spot, passing the Los Angeles Rams who lost on Sunday. The Bears’ Black Friday win also knocked the Philadelphia Eagles to third in the NFC.

The Seattle Seahawks play Sunday afternoon.

The Green Bay...

Cat Scratch Reader Cat Scratch Reader
Recap and Reaction: Panthers shock the world and beat Rams

Recap and Reaction: Panthers shock the world and beat Rams

The Carolina Panthers continue to defy all odds in every direction as they took down the Los Angeles Rams.

First Quarter

Any expectations of a blowout seemed to get reaffirmed by the way the game started. The Rams got a big return into Panthers territory to open the game, and a Panthers penalty added another 15 yards to that. A couple of passes to Puka Nacua and a short pass to a tight end quickly set the Rams up on the doorstep of the endzone. There, Matthew Stafford found his favorite red zone target, Davante Adams, on a quick...

Cat Scratch Reader Cat Scratch Reader
Panthers vs Rams: Live fan discussion for Week 13

Panthers vs Rams: Live fan discussion for Week 13

The Carolina Panthers are back in the market for a signature upset win. The Los Angeles Rams are one of the best teams in football this year. This could hardly work better as a script if it was written for Hollywood. Unfortunately, this is reality and the odds are that the good team plays well against the bad team, showing why the bad team is bad.

Fortunately, this is the same reality that the Carolina Panthers have existed in for decades. They have always thrived on confounding expectations. I’m not saying the Panthers are going to win today, just that...

Cat Scratch Reader Cat Scratch Reader
Reacts Results: Panthers fans wary, with wavering trust in Bryce Young

Reacts Results: Panthers fans wary, with wavering trust in Bryce Young

To be polite, fans of the Carolina Panthers struggled to find much about their team to be thankful for this week. Suspicious playcalling and bad quarterbacking spoiled a huge potential upset against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. Nascent conversations about the playoffs turned back into debates over just how big of a problem Bryce Young is for the future of this franchise.

Confidence fell from a near season high of 84% to a middling 59% after the hapless loss to the 49ers. Fans were quick to excuse a loss to the New Orleans Saints after a record-setting...

Cat Scratch Reader Cat Scratch Reader
Panthers Injury Report & Transactions – Week 13

Panthers Injury Report & Transactions – Week 13

The Carolina Panthers front office is busy throughout the season with transactions, roster moves, and injury updates. Here’s what’s happening at Mint Street this week.

Injuries

It’s a brutal injury report for the Panthers this week.
On the defensive side of the ball, Carolina will be without stud cornerback Jaycee Horn, starting linebackers Christian Rozeboom and Trevin Wallace, and reserve linebacker Claudin Cherelus. The Panthers defense is often asked to carry a heavy load to support an offense that can struggle at times, and they’ll be challenged to do so this week. Horn is literally irreplaceable as one of...

Cat Scratch Reader Cat Scratch Reader
Panthers vs Rams: Defensive Preview

Panthers vs Rams: Defensive Preview

Hello CSR! I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving week! As we all know, we can’t dwell on last week and we’re on to the Rams, who travel to Charlotte in an attempt to try and stay atop the NFC. Meanwhile, despite a horrific showing on Monday Night Football as a whole, the defense for the Panthers stepped up and desperately tried to keep this team in the game, with 3 first half interceptions. In the end, the Panthers didn’t win, but still very much control their own destiny approaching the back end of their schedule. This game looks like...

Cat Scratch Reader Cat Scratch Reader
Panthers vs Rams: Offensive Preview

Panthers vs Rams: Offensive Preview

Gulp.

I don’t know how to take an optimistic view of this game. That’s true of either side of the ball, but we’re going to focus our pessimism on the offensive side of the ball since this is the offensive preview. The offense just got done embarrassing themselves on Monday night by squandering away three first half interceptions by the Carolina defense. They mustered just nine points against a wounded, struggling 49ers defense. Now they have to face a Rams team that is absolutely elite across the board.

The Rams are the best team in the league, hands down. They...

Cat Scratch Reader Cat Scratch Reader