4 ways the Carolina Panthers can come out fine with an NFL playoff loss

The Carolina Panthers might lose on Saturday. Pretty much every analyst with every outlet has predicted that outcome, and it's hard not to see why. This is a glaring mismatch, even when you account for that Week 13 upset.

The Los Angeles Rams are better, and they've been here plenty of times before. The Panthers haven't. But even when or if they lose, there are ways to go down with dignity and inspire hope for the future.

Don't look overmatched

Nov 30, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers center Austin Corbett (63) celebrates with Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker (18) after a play during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Panthers are overmatched. They're not close in talent or coaching when compared to the Rams. They've been overmatched a few times this season, and there are two different outcomes. They can either rise to the occasion (beating the Rams and Packers) or falter (struggling against Seahawks and Bills).

The most important thing they can do tomorrow is not look like they don't belong. They don't belong in the playoffs based on every metric except a silly tiebreaker, but now's not the time to show that. They need to look like a real NFL team, that way a loss doesn't come off as embarrassing.

Bryce Young needs to play well

Turnovers may well happen, especially if the forecasted rain comes into play. That happened last week in Tampa Bay, but Bryce Young was able to withstand that and have a really good overall game. He had just one errant throw.

It's silly to think one game, even a playoff game, changes the Panthers' opinion of him, but it will impact the narrative surrounding him. There are external questions about Young, and those will get louder and harsher if he struggles.

Don't make silly mistakes

The Panthers cannot beat themselves. They cannot make mistakes that cost them big time, like, for a wild example, calling a flea flicker in the red zone when the field is soaking wet. That would be a bad idea in a crucial game.

The playcalling has to be good. The execution has to be good. If the Rams, who are much better, beat the Panthers, so be it. The Panthers just can't beat the Panthers, so they need to avoid getting in their own way like they have so often.

Rise to the moment

Even if everyone understands that the Panthers are playing with house money and are likely to go home after this contest, it's still a wildly pressure-packed game. Aside from Taylor Moton and JJ Jansen and a few other incoming stragglers, no one on this team has experienced a playoff game.

When that is the case, teams can often struggle. There might be false starts, wasted timeouts, miscues on the snap or handoff, and plenty of other things. The lights get too bright, to quote a Cleveland Cavaliers center. Don't let the lights be too bright.

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