Carolina Panthers major takeaways from huge upset over NFL-best Rams

The Carolina Panthers got the biggest win of their season, and maybe of the last several seasons on Sunday. Facing the red-hot, NFL-leading Los Angeles Rams, the Panthers bounced back from maybe their worst showing last week to remain in the playoff race. It was a stunner in Charlotte before the bye.

Bryce Young bounced back

It may not have been a perfect game, as Bryce Young missed a couple of throws and wasn't as crisp as he could've been, but he played really well. After last week's utter disaster against the 49ers, that was important. Had he played poorly like he did last week, this would've been another laugher. In the second half, he was excellent when called upon.

Dave Canales was a mixed bag

Panthers head coach Dave Canales had an awful game plan last week, but he improved this week. He rode the hot hand with Chuba Hubbard, and he got much better results on offense. The play calls were generally better. He also took all three timeouts into the half after being wildly conservative on a two-minute drill and had some questionable management choices, too. His second-half coaching was much better and much more aggressive (those two things are correlated).

Jalen Coker arrived

The WRs did very little, but Jalen Coker really came on. Defensive attention likely went to Tetairoa McMillan, who posted his first real dud of the year, but Coker picked up the slack. He was good, clutch, and took advantage of the lack of defensive attention for his best game of 2025. He even clinched the game with a clutch conversion.

Chuba Hubbard is back

The last few weeks, Chuba Hubbard has looked more and more like himself, and Rico Dowdle's excellence has faded. This week, Hubbard appeared to retake the RB1 role. Dowdle struggled, and Hubbard continuously gashed the defense, including a really nice 35-yard screen touchdown in the first quarter. We may have another RB split coming soon.

The defense was opportunistic but struggled at times

The Panthers got two interceptions, including a pick-six, and they still allowed 21 first-half points. That's a microcosm of the game. If not for those two interceptions, it would've been ugly. They couldn't stop the run at all, and they couldn't pressure Matthew Stafford at all. Oh, and they couldn't cover Davante Adams at all. However, turning Stafford over three times will win most games, and that's what happened.

- Enjoy more free Panthers coverage with Carolina Panthers on SI -

Derrick Brown hustle helps end incredible 10-week streak by Matt Stafford

Chuba Hubbard finally makes his first impact play for Panthers in 2025

Arch Manning among 3 potential Bryce Young replacements in 2026 draft

Analyst states the obvious about Rico Dowdle and the Carolina Panthers