The Rams traveled to Carolina to take on the NFC South-winning Panthers in the Wild Card Round, and after a 34-31 win, Los Angeles advances to the Divisional Round.
The Rams were the third of three NFC West teams to land in the postseason this year, and for a stretch of the season, they looked like THE team to beat in the NFC. And the Panthers, of course, finished under .500, which was good enough to lock up the NFC South since it’s currently the silliest division in the NFC. LA was heavily favored
heading into this one, and the Rams did not disappoint.
This one wasn’t pretty at times, but LA got the job done when it mattered most. They led 14-0 and looked ready to blow out Carolina. But as they’ve done all season, the Panthers fought back. They took the lead two separate times, but Matthew Stafford showed why he was All-Pro and potentially the NFL MVP. He found Colby Parkinson with 38 seconds left in the game to secure the fourth quarter comeback victory.
Updated 2026 NFC playoff bracket
Now that Wild Card Weekend is in the books, we know which team the Rams and everyone else will face in the Divisional Round.
Wild Card results
Jan. 10, 2026, 4:30 p.m. ET
Rams 34, Panthers 31
Jan. 10, 2026, 8 p.m. ET
Bears 31, Packer 27
Jan. 11, 2026, 1 p.m. ET
Bills 27, Jaguars 24
Jan. 11, 2026, 4:30 p.m. ET
49ers 23, Eagles 19
Jan. 11, 2026, 8:15 p.m. ET
Patriots 16, Chargers 3
Jan. 12, 2026, 8:15 p.m. ET
Houston Texans 30, Pittsburgh Steelers 6
Divisional Round bracket
The Rams will travel to Chicago to take on the Bears in the Divisional Round, while the other two NFC West teams left standing, the 49ers and the Seahawks, will face off in Seattle. In the AFC, the Bills will face the Broncos and the Texans will face the Patriots.
Saturday, Jan. 17, 8 p.m. ET
San Francisco 49ers (6) vs. Seattle Seahawks (1)
Sunday, Jan. 18, 6:30 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Rams (5) vs. Chicago Bears (2)
Saturday, Jan. 17, 4:30 p.m. ET
Buffalo Bills (6) vs. Denver Broncos (1)
Sunday, Jan. 18, 3 p.m. ET
Houston Texans (5) vs. New England Patriots (2)
