Panthers face Stafford and Hot LA Rams Team

Created by – Sharon Thorsland

The Panthers take on one of hottest teams in the league Sunday, welcoming the Los Angeles Rams to Bank of America stadium. The Rams boast the best record in the NFC at 9-2 following their Sunday night win over the Bucs, while the Panthers are 6-6 after falling to the 49ers on Monday Night Football.

The Rams have one of the best offenses in the NFL, led by 17-year veteran quarterback Matt Stafford. He directs a passing attack rank ranks 5th in the league averaging over 248 yards per game. He’s thrown 30 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Stafford has only been sacked 15 times, and he hasn’t thrown a pick since week three. “He’s playing great football,” said Panthers coach Dave Canales. “He’s getting the ball out fast, and has a group he can really trust.”

That group is led by third year receiver Puke Nacua, who leads the team with 80 catches. The Rams brought in former Packers and Raiders star Davante Adams, who has 631 yards and 12 touchdowns. Fourth year running back Kyren Williams is also an excellent receiver, he has 24 catches and three touchdowns, and has rushed for 796 yards and six scores. They’ll face a Panthers defense that is dealing with multiple injuries across several positions, and will also be without starting safety Tre’von Moehrig, who is suspended for this game after punching 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings.

The Rams no longer have star defensive end Aaron Donald, who retired after last season. But they’re still one of the best in the NFL, giving up just 16.3 points per game, that’s number one in the league. They’ve got 20 takeaways and get after the quarterback, with 31 sacks on the season. The front line is anchored by 300-pound nose tackle Poona Ford, and 2024 defensive rookie of the year Jared Verse has picked up where Donald left off. He has six sacks and three forced fumbles. Fellow edge rusher Byron Young leads the team with nine sacks. Middle linebacker Nate Landman has four forced fumbles. The Ram’s secondary is led by veteran safety Kam Kurl; cornerbacks Cobie Durant and Emmanuel Forbes, Jr. each have three interceptions. “They’ve reloaded quickly,” said Panthers offensive lineman Austin Corbett. “They have good, solid young talent that is dominant right now. It’s an exciting challenge to go against them.”

This certainly is a challenge on both sides of the ball for the Panthers. They’re facing another NFC opponent who happens to be one of the best teams in the league right now. And in spite of their loss to the 49ers, they’re still in the thick of things in the NFC South race. Can they get back in the win column and stay in the playoff hunt? Running back Rico Dowdle says yes. “Everything that we want is still out there in front of us,” said Dowdle. “And that’s been the message. So we just got to focus on beating the Rams this week.”