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Rams Hold Off Panthers Comeback Bid in Dramatic Opener to NFL Postseason

‘Colby Parkinson, what a stud,’ Sean McVay said after the Rams narrowly escaped against the Panthers.

Blake Silverman

Tight end Colby Parkinson caught the game-winning touchdown for the Rams to survive against the Panthers
Tight end Colby Parkinson caught the game-winning touchdown for the Rams to survive against the Panthers / Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
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The Rams survived a true scare on the road against the Panthers in Saturday’s wild-card weekend matchup.

Carolina trailed by only three points at halftime despite a messy first half, and even took the lead late in the fourth quarter thanks to an incredible throw from Bryce Young to receiver Jalen Coker for a seven-yard touchdown with 2:39 left to play. That proved to be too much time for Rams QB Matthew Stafford though, as he led L.A. down the field before finding tight end Colby Parkinson for a wild 19-yard touchdown, fighting through contact and somehow staying in bounds for the game-winning score.

“Colby Parkinson, what a stud,” Rams coach Sean McVay said when asked about the catch postgame following the thrilling win. “Matthew had trust, it’s a really good player one on one on the front pylon, and he goes up and gets it. It’s been kind of par for the course—Matthew trusting his guys and guys delivering in the critical moments.”

The fact that Carolina came so close to defeating the Rams was miraculous in its own right after the Panthers’ struggles in the first half. The contest at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium saw a back-and-forth second half with the Panthers taking the lead on a rushing touchdown from Chuba Hubbard to start the fourth quarter. The Rams punched right back with a score of their own from Stafford to running back Kyren Williams.

Despite a three-and-out after the Williams touchdown, the Panthers found a massive momentum shift by blocking Rams punter Ethan Evans’s kick to give Young and the offense the ball back at the L.A. 30-yard line.

That’s when Young found Coker for the awesome throw and catch to give the Panthers the late lead before Parkinson’s game-winning grab.

The Rams, the NFC’s No. 5 seed, advance although the NFC South champion Panthers nearly shook up the NFL’s playoff picture in the very first game of the postseason. Should the rest of the playoffs follow suit, football fans are in for plenty of chaos through Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8.

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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.

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