Carolina Panthers' late playoff failure proves they didn't learn in regular season

The Carolina Panthers fell short in their bid for what might've been the most impressive upset in NFL playoff history. The fact that they came so close is inspiring and provides hope, but that's a story for another time.

The story right now is that they could and arguably should have won that football game. They made plenty of plays to get into position to win, but then both the offense and defense turned back into a pumpkin.

The two final non-kneel possessions showcased that Carolina didn't learn from two excruciating regular-season losses.

Panthers didn't learn from losing to Cardinals, Saints

Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker (18) makes a touchdown catch against Los Angeles Rams safety Kam Curl (3) in the second half during the NFC Wild Card Round game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

There are two losses that the Carolina Panthers suffered that really stung this year, but they could have provided valuable lessons for what not to do on both offense and defense in critical situations.

The Panthers lost to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2, a loss that haunts since the Cardinals won two other games all year. Let's set the stage and see if it sounds familiar:

NFC West opponent
Furious comeback
In a game they had no business being in
One possession late to win (or tie) the game

That's how it played out against the Cardinals and last night against the Los Angeles Rams. Against the Cardinals, the offense got greedy and started trying to go deep every time on their final drive, abandoning what had worked thus far.

It failed, and they virtually went nowhere before turning it over on downs. Against the Rams, the deep shots were working, but the Panthers still got too aggressive. They had 32 seconds and three timeouts to gain roughly 40 yards to kick a tying field goal.

One deep shot could be understood, but they kept doing it. All four passes went beyond the sticks when the Panthers could've dinked and dunked to move the ball. All four fell incomplete, although Jimmy Horn Jr. dropped the final attempt.

It wouldn't have come to that if the defense had learned its lesson, though. The Panthers lost to the New Orleans Saints twice, but the latter loss is particularly hurtful because they blew a 10-point lead in the second half.

They dropped back into soft zone and let the Saints march down the field with wide open receivers to score a tying TD and then did the same on the game-winning field goal drive.

That's what the Panthers did against the Rams last night. Matthew Stafford had no trouble finding open receivers as he easily marched the Rams into range. He dropped an absolute dime into tight coverage for the winning score, but still. They were in the red zone with ease by that point.

Jaycee Horn was ruled out by that point, and Akayleb Evans isn't equipped to deal with Puka Nacua or Davante Adams, which impacted things. They've done this with Horn on the field, though, and they still should've been aggressive and not played prevent.

Losses are lessons in the NFL, especially for a young team. Unfortunately, when it mattered most, the Panthers forgot what they learned.

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