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Within the first of six video games on Tremendous Wild Card Weekend, the Carolina Panthers play host to the Los Angeles Rams.
Carolina gained the NFC South in dramatic trend, shedding to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers within the de facto division championship recreation however claiming the South title anyway because of the Atlanta Falcons‘ win over the New Orleans Saints. The Panthers completed the season with a file of simply 8-9, however because of their having gained the division, they get to host the Rams on this first-round recreation anyway.
Los Angeles regarded prefer it was headed for the No. 1 seed for a lot of the second half of the season, solely to lose a pair of video games down the stretch and fall into the No. 5 slot as a substitute. The Rams completed with the second-best file within the convention at 12-5, however as a result of they play in the identical division because the No. 1-seeded Seattle Seahawks, they enter the postseason as a wild card staff.
Will the Rams advance, or will the Panthers pull off the upset at residence? We’ll discover out quickly sufficient. Earlier than we break down some key storylines, here is a take a look at how one can watch the sport.
The place to observe Panthers vs. Rams stay
- Date: Saturday, Jan. 10 | Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Financial institution of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)
- TV: FOX | Stream: Fubo (Strive free of charge)
- Observe: CBS Sports activities App
- Odds: Rams -10, O/U 46.5 by way of DraftKings Sportsbook
Key Storylines
- Rams out for revenge. Again in Week 13, the Rams headed into Carolina with a 9-2 file and sat atop the NFC. They have been closely favored over the Panthers, who have been simply 6-6 on the time. However issues do not all the time go as you count on. Matthew Stafford turned the ball over 3 times. Bryce Younger accomplished a pair of giant landing passes on fourth downs. And the Panthers upset the Rams 31-28, setting L.A. on a path that will lead it to blow its likelihood on the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye down the stretch of the season. Now, the Rams have their likelihood to actual revenge on the Panthers.
- Panthers run recreation. In the midst of the season, Rico Dowdle went berserk and the Panthers regarded like that they had probably the greatest run video games within the NFL. They topped 100 speeding yards in seven straight video games, 150 yards in three of them and 200 yards twice. They slowed down for just a few video games after that, speeding for south of 80 yards in three consecutive video games, however then they popped up with 164 yards of their win over the Rams. They’re coming off their worst speeding efficiency of the season (19 yards) in Week 18, so we’ll should see if they’ll get happening the bottom once more on Saturday.
- Puka and Davante. Puka Nacua had “solely” 6 catches for 72 scoreless yards within the first matchup in opposition to Carolina. Davante Adams had 4 catches for 52 yards, however he was on the receiving finish of two of L.A.’s touchdowns. The pair of wideouts type one of the dynamic duos within the NFL. Within the first Rams-Panthers recreation, they did not should cope with Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn, who is without doubt one of the finest within the league himself. It will be fascinating to see whether or not Horn shadows one receiver or the opposite, or if the Panthers simply follow him and Mike Jackson (who additionally had a pleasant season) enjoying sure sides of the sphere.
- Bryce Younger vs. Rams go protection. Younger did not have a ton of go quantity within the first recreation between these two groups. He threw solely 20 passes. However when he did throw, it was extremely helpful for Carolina. He accomplished 15 of 20 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns, with out throwing an interception, and he was additionally sacked solely twice whereas speeding 5 occasions for 23 yards. The Rams are glorious up entrance on protection, however they are often leaky on the again finish now and again, as we noticed in that first matchup. The Panthers will possible attempt to management the sport with the speeding assault, however they want Younger to hit on well timed throws once more.
Prediction
The Rams looked like the best team in the NFL for most of the season. They stumbled down the stretch without Davante Adams, but they should have him back for this game. They’ll also have revenge on their minds after they were upset by the Panthers earlier this season. But even that upset took Matthew Stafford turning the ball over three times and Bryce Young playing at a much higher level than he did for most of the season. I don’t see those things repeating themselves on Saturday, so I’ve got to ride with the Rams here. Prediction: Rams 27, Panthers 16 | Pick: Rams -10
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