Carolina Panthers have a secret defensive skill that could play vs. Rams

You may still be wondering how on earth the Carolina Panthers beat the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13. It's still one of the most puzzling outcomes of the year, and now it's being rehashed ahead of the playoff rematch.

Despite that loss, the expectation is that the Rams will get revenge and do it handily. The Panthers are and were outmatched, and a team just can't win twice in those circumstances. It just doesn't happen.

But one thing helped in Week 13, and it could really help here. On defense, the Panthers are the best at stopping what the Rams love to do.

Panthers defense has some Kryptonite for Rams offense

Nov 30, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) hands the ball off to Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) during the fourth quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Rams love play-action. Most teams like it, but the Rams use it more than anyone. They have a killer running game, and they use that to trick defenses and get easy opportunities for Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. It works most of the time.

That's their superpower, but the Panthers have the Kryptonite. Per The Athletic's J.J. Bailey, the Panthers have a 60% success rate against play-action. That's the best in the NFL. They allow a league-low 5.6 yards per play-action pass.

Because the Rams can't run play-action against Carolina, they have to get into shotgun more and adopt a more straightforward passing attack. That's where Matthew Stafford makes his mistakes.

Most of his turnovers, including his two interceptions in Charlotte back in November, came from the gun. That helped the Panthers win, as did a pretty strong overall rushing attack and a brilliant day from Bryce Young.

Of course, the Panthers needed literally everything to go right to get a three-point win at home during the regular season, which doesn't bode well for the playoffs. If even one thing is amiss, the Panthers might be doomed.

But they can hang with LA, and they represent a shockingly unique challenge for the Rams' offense. With defensive players back who didn't play that game, the defense might step up in a big way, and the game might be a whole lot closer than anyone expects.

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

Why the Panthers will (and won’t) beat the Rams in the playoffs

One reason the Panthers can actually win the Super Bowl

Cam Newton should but won’t bang drum at Panthers playoff game

Bryce Young given mandate to help Panthers in future