Rams Suffer One of Most Shocking Losses of McVay Era

The Los Angeles Rams fell to the Carolina Panthers in early morning action from the East Coast on Sunday.

First Half

First Quarter

The Rams got off to a quick start as a big return by Ronnie Rivers on the kickoff was amplified by a late hit out of bounds by Thomas Incoom. With the Rams starting their opening drive from the Carolina 35 yard line, they slowly marched up the field with Matthew Stafford finding several of his pass catchers before hitting Davante Adams in the end zone.

Nov 30, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams (17) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Adams' score makes it six straight games with a touchdown.

However, the quick start went away as fast as it came as the Panthers' offense put together the most lethal first-half attack the Rams have faced since their first matchup against San Francisco.

The Panthers' utilization of speed immediately put the Rams' defense on their back foot. Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard made things happen early while the height of the Panthers receivers worked to their benefit. After moving upfield, Rams DC Chris Shula dialed up a blitz that the Panthers countered with a swing pass to Hubbard away from the pressure.

With blockers in front, the Rams surrendered points on an opponent's opening drive, something that hasn't happened in near months.

Nov 30, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers safety Nick Scott (21) celebrates after Carolina Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson (2) intercepts a pass to score a touchdown during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

The Rams would drive downfield again until disaster struck with Stafford throwing a pass that was deflected in the air. Landing in the hands of former Rams safety Nick Scott, the Rams offense, who was at the Carolina eight yard line, was stalled in the red zone via a turnover for the first time in weeks.

That was Stafford's first interception since week three. While the Rams defense forced a three-and-out, things got worse as Stafford would be intercepted again, this time by Mike Jackson with Jackson taking the interception to the house.

Second Quarter

Down by seven, the Rams went right back to work. Stafford immediately flipped the field with a deep bomb to Xavier Smith before Blake Corum cut through the Panthers defense. Stafford would use his tight ends to navigate the offense into the red zone before Davante Adams picked up his second touchdown of the day.

The Panthers would continue to strike hard against the Rams' defense, going on a 12-play drive. While their tactics continued to produce success, near misses by Bryce Young, as well as a full frontal assault on the line of scrimmage, forced a field goal.

The Rams, sensing blood in the water, turned to Kyren Williams, took the ball five times, advancing it to the Carolina two-yard line before suffering an injury. Blake Corum finished off the drive to retake the lead.

The Rams would force a punt, taking a 21-17 lead into halftime.

Second Half

Third Quarter

The Panthers came out with a plan, using a slow, methodical drive to find the end zone. A heavy dose of the run opened up Jalen Coker for the 33 yard touchdown pass. Coker was a continual thorn in the side of the Rams all day and it reflected in the score sheet.

Dowdle and Hubbard continued to strike upfield, giving the Rams their most difficult test of the year on the ground.

As has happened in virtually every game this season, the Rams offense stalled in the third. With only one drive as Carolina again worked the clock all the way to the fourth, the Rams went three and out.

Fourth Quarter

While the Panthers went low and slow on their next drive, a holding penalty followed by a Byron Young sack forced a punt.

The Rams took advantage of this to retake the lead, as Williams and Corum broke through the Panthers' defense with Corum finishing the drive with a 34 yard touchdown run.

Carolina responded immediately by putting the ball in Bryce Young's hands. The constant use of the run opened up the deep pass that Tetairoa McMillian hauled in for a 43 yard score. To make things worse, all three offensive touchdowns were passes over 32 yards. Two of them were on fourth down and the opening score was on third and eight.

The Failure

The Rams had over six minutes to engineer a game-winning drive and immediately got to work. They put the ball in Stafford's hands and they drove to the Carolina 17 yard line with a little more than 2:30 left in the game.

On third and five, the Rams had options as they only trailed by three points. However, the Rams would be called for a devastating and uncharacteristic delay of game penalty that forced Stafford to throw from shotgun.

Knowing it was a passing play, Panthers defender Derrick Brown strip-sacked Stafford and the Panthers would recover. Six plays later, the Rams went from being within chip-shot field goal range to picking up their third loss of the season.

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