NFL wild card weekend kicks off witha battle betweentheLos Angeles Rams and NFC South champion Carolina Panthers. The Rams could have avoided the wild-card round altogether, but a 1-2 finish to the season has them as the No. 5 seed heading to Charlotte. Carolina needed help from Atlanta to clinch the division, but they are in and much improved since last season.
The Rams come into this playoff game as one of the favorites out of the NFC, led by MVP candidate Matthew Stafford. This Rams offense has been explosive even in losses this season, behind Stafford's 46 touchdown passes, 4,707 yards, and 276.9 yards per game, all of which led the NFL. LA will also havewide receiver Davante Adams back on the field for the first time since suffering a hamstring injuryin mid-December.
Carolina comes in with a losing record (8-9) in the regular season, but will host since they won the division. ThePanthers are playing with house money, as nobody outside of Charlotte expects muchfrom this team in the postseason. Third-year quarterback Bryce Young took a step forward in his progression, completing the best season of his career thus far. If Carolina can't figure out how to slow down this Rams offense, it's going to be a long day.
How to watch Rams vs. Panthers wild-card matchup
Rams-Panthers start time:4:30 p.m. ETLocation:Bank of America Stadium | Charlotte, N.C.TV channel, live stream:Fox, NFL+
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more as the Carolina Panthers host the Los Angeles Rams to kick offwild card weekend.
