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Tetairoa McMillan’s TD grab vs. Rams the catch of the year for Panthers

The Panthers’ top pick in the 2025 NFL draft was pretty quiet on Sunday. Then he struck gold late in the fourth quarter in Carolina’s upset of the Rams.
Russell Baxter|
Nov 30, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) runs after making a catch as Los Angeles Rams cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. (1) defends during the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images
Nov 30, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) runs after making a catch as Los Angeles Rams cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. (1) defends during the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

He was targeted a season-low two times despite the fact that he was on the field for more offensive snaps than any other Carolina Panthers’ wide receiver on Sunday. Rookie Tetairoa McMillan has been the club’s top pass-catching option all season, but he wound up taking somewhat of a backseat vs. the Los Angeles Rams.

Hence, teammate Jalen Coker turned out to be quarterback Bryce Young’s favorite option vs. the NFC West leaders. He was targeted four times and finished with four catches for 74 yards and one score.

However, when push came to shove, the eighth overall pick in April’s draft came up with the longest and biggest offensive play of the season to date. With his club down 28-24 and the offense facing a 4th-and-2 on Los Angeles’ 43-yard line with less than seven minutes to play, McMillan got behind Rams’ cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr., hauled in a perfect pass from Young and reached the end zone. It was the rookie wideout’s only reception of the game, and it proved to be the difference in Carolina’s shocking 31-28 victory.

It's been quite the rollercoaster stretch for Dave Canales’s club. The team dropped three of its first four games, came up with three consecutive wins, and then alternated losses and wins over their next five outings entering Sunday’s clash with Sean McVay’s first-place team. True to the current streak, the Panthers followed up a loss with a win, and now own a 7-6 record entering the team’s off-week.

As for McMillan, it was only fitting that the team’s top pass-catcher in 2025 came up with arguably the Panthers’ most important reception of the season to date. His rookie resume reads 57 catches for 826 yards (14.5 average) and six touchdowns, and all three figures easily lead Canales’s club. It was a shining moment for the former University of Arizona standout, with many more likely to come.

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Russell Baxter
RUSSELL BAXTER

Russell S. Baxter has been writing and researching the game of football for more than 40 years, and on numerous platforms. That includes television, as he spent more than two decades at ESPN, and was part of shows that garnered five Emmy Awards. He also spent the 2015 NFL season with Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFLN.