Carolina Panthers fell short but proved they belonged in tough loss to Rams

The Carolina Panthers are going home after a brutal, painful playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Losing in the playoffs stings every time, especially when you fall by just a field goal. Close losses can swing one way or the other, and this one swung to the Rams.

But in that happening, the Panthers proved the entire NFL world wrong. They proved that they belonged in the playoffs after so much talk about how they should've never even seen the postseason.

Panthers proved they belong even in crushing loss to Rams

The Carolina Panthers were much-maligned for being in the playoffs at all. At 8-9 and with a -69 point differential, they were lambasted and given no shot. Some didn't even think they'd cover the massive 10.5-point spread.

And yet, they only lost by three. Sure, there are no moral victories, especially in the playoffs. But the narrative ahead of the game was that the Panthers were some sort of Make-A-Wish playoff team that would get steamrolled. We aren't going to forget how this team was talked about.

The Rams are moving on, but they might be a little fortunate to. They were pegged as a Super Bowl contender and had to withstand a furious effort from an outmanned, outmatched, and inferior Panthers squad.

The Panthers proved everyone wrong in doing so. Their defense gave Matthew Stafford a tough time. He was genuinely pretty bad today. The highly-criticized Panthers offense was electric, led by Bryce Young.

They still couldn't run the ball as well as they used to, but it didn't matter. Young and Jalen Coker were an unguardable duo. Tetairoa McMillan was pretty great, too. The Rams' defense had no answers for a Panthers offense that was pretty bad during the regular season.

So many times, Bryce Young rises to the occasion. That typically occurs via a fourth-down game-winning drive. Instead, the Panthers scored twice in the fourth quarter of the playoffs to take the lead.

They didn't get the game-winning drive, but the offense showed up. That has, surprisingly, been the most disappointing aspect of the team this season.

When it's all said and done, unless the Rams go on to win the Super Bowl, they might be forgotten in the story of these playoffs. The Panthers undoubtedly will not.

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