Rams eager to get WR Davante Adams back for wild-card game against Panthers after a 3-game absence
Los Angeles Rams (12-5) at Carolina (8-9)
Saturday, 4:30 p.m. EST, Fox.
BetMGM NFL odds: Rams by 10 1/2.
Against the spread: Rams 11-6; Panthers 10-7.
Series record: Panthers lead 14-10.
Last meeting: Panthers beat the Rams 31-28 on Nov. 30, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Last week: Rams beat Cardinals 37-20; Panthers lost to Buccaneers 16-14.
Rams offense: overall (1), rush (7), pass (1), scoring (1).
Rams defense: overall (17), rush (12), pass (19), scoring (10).
Panthers offense: overall (27), rush (19), pass (16), scoring (27).
Panthers defense: overall (16), rush (20), pass (15), scoring (15)
Turnover differential: Rams plus-11; Panthers minus-2.
Rams player to watch
WR Davante Adams is set to return after missing the last three games of the regular season because of a hamstring injury. Despite the time missed, Adams still led the NFL with 14 touchdown receptions, but his absence was felt in losses to Seattle and Atlanta down the stretch, especially in the red zone, and ultimately cost the Rams a chance at the NFC West title and the No. 1 overall seed. Adams had four catches for 58 yards and two scores against the Panthers in a 31-28 loss in Week 13. His presence should prevent Carolina’s secondary from focusing entirely on Puka Nacua.
Panthers player to watch
RB Rico Dowdle. He was held to 10 yards rushing last week by Tampa Bay and hasn’t surpassed 60 yards rushing in the past eight games after carrying the Panthers offense earlier this season. Carolina effectively ran the ball in the previous meeting with the Rams — 40 carries for 164 yards — which in turn allowed QB Bryce Young to be efficient in the passing game. Young finished 15 of 20 for 206 yards with three touchdown passes and had a 147.1 QB rating, the second best in franchise history, in one of his best games as a pro.
Key matchup
Rams QB Matthew Stafford vs. Panthers secondary. Stafford entered the Week 13 matchup with Carolina having thrown for 18 touchdown passes in the previous five games. But after leading a touchdown drive on the Rams’ opening possession, Stafford was intercepted on back-to-back drives and finished with three turnovers. That was against the Carolina defense missing four defensive starters, including top cornerback Jaycee Horn. All four will be back in the lineup for the Panthers on Saturday.
Key injuries
Rams: In addition to getting Adams back, Los Angeles will also have top DB Quentin Lake available following a seven-game absence because of an elbow injury. … RG Kevin Dotson will miss his third straight game with an ankle injury, hampering the Rams’ ground game. … Rookie TE Terrance Ferguson pulled his hamstring in practice ahead of the regular-season finale against the Cardinals, putting his availability in question. … RT Rob Havenstein (ankle/knee) remains week-to-week and is unlikely to come off injured reserve before Saturday.
Panthers: Carolina comes in healthy and the biggest injury question this week is if G Robert Hunt will be activated from injured reserve and start. Hunt, the highest-paid offensive lineman in team history and largely considered the team’s best run blocker, has been out since Week 2 with a torn triceps. He’s been practicing for a couple of weeks and said he feels ready to go. However, the decision will be up to the coaching and medical staffs on whether to put Hunt back in the starting lineup in such a big game given he hasn’t played in so long and could be rusty. There is also the risk of Hunt reinjuring the triceps, and they don’t want to lose him for next season.
Series notes
This is the second playoff game between the Panthers and Rams. Carolina won 29-23 in St. Louis on Jan. 10, 2004, in an NFC divisional game en route to the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance. The Panthers won the game in dramatic fashion on the first play of double overtime on a play called “X Clown” when WR Steve Smith hauled in a pass over the middle from QB Jake Delhomme and turned it into a game-ending 69-yard touchdown reception.
Stats and stuff
The Rams are 3-2 in the wild-card round under coach Sean McVay, including a 1-1 mark in road games. They beat the Seahawks following the 2020 season and lost at the Detroit Lions following the 2023 season. … QB Matthew Stafford is 5-2 in the playoffs with the Rams, guiding them to a Super Bowl title four years ago. Stafford has thrown for 15 touchdowns against three interceptions in the postseason for Los Angeles, and is tied with Kurt Warner for most postseason TD passes in franchise history. … Adams has 72 receptions for 910 yards and eight touchdowns in 11 playoff games, including four 100-yard outings. He needs one touchdown catch to move into the top 10 in NFL history. … The Rams ran for a season-high 7.2 yards per carry against the Panthers in Week 13, finishing with 152 yards on 21 attempts. … Los Angeles went 2-3 in games where the defense did not force a takeaway this season, including the loss to Carolina. … OLB Jared Verse had three tackles for loss, two sacks, and a 57-yard fumble return for a touchdown in his two playoff games as a rookie last season. … RB Kyren Williams is averaging 5.1 yards per carry in three postseason appearances but has not scored a rushing touchdown. He had a scoring catch in a 27-9 NFC wild-card win over the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 13, 2025, in a home game that was moved to Glendale, Arizona, because of wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area. … Carolina is listed as 200-1 underdog to win the Super Bowl per BetMGM Sportsbook, the largest longshot odds by far of any of the 14 teams in the playoffs. … The Panthers are 5-2 in home playoff games in franchise history with both losses coming to NFC West teams (Arizona and San Francisco). … The Panthers are 5-3 at home this season. … Bryce Young has led 12 game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime since coming into the league as the No. 1 overall pick in 2023, the most of any QB during that span. … RB Rico Dowdle has run for more than 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. … WR Tetairoa McMillan had only one reception against the Rams in the first meeting, but it was a big one. McMillan’s 43-yard touchdown catch on a fourth-and-2 play with 6:43 remaining in the game proved to be the winning score. … WR Jalen Coker has replaced 2024 first-round draft pick Xavier Legette in the starting lineup. Coker, who has three TD catches in the past five games, played 92% of the team’s offensive snaps against Tampa Bay; Legette played just 31%. … WR Hunter Renfrow was released this week, an indication the team might be ready to promote WR David Moore from injured reserve giving them more experience at that position. Moore had not played since Week 4 and has just one catch. … DE Derrick Brown had a sack and forced fumble along with a tipped pass that resulted in an interception in the previous meeting with the Rams. … CB Mike Jackson finished tied for the league lead with 19 passes defended.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl