One of the most unfortunate moments of the 2025 regular season for the Los Angeles Rams was when they surprisingly lost to the Carolina Panthers in Week 13. The Rams now travel to the Panthers, winners of the NFC South, for the opening round of the playoffs. LA will look to right their mistakes from earlier in the year.
How did the Rams end up losing as 10-point favorites earlier this season? Let’s look back at the Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades and data as a reminder ahead of Saturday afternoon’s rematch.
Poona Ford did his job
LA signed Poona Ford this past offseason in free agency in order to shore up their run defense. The investment in Ford paid dividends in this particular matchup; however, others did not pull their weight—resulting in a majorly productive running day for Carolina.
Chubba Hubbard ran 17 times for 83 yards (4.9 avg) with 54 yards coming after contact. Rico Dowdle was less effective on the ground at 18 carries for 58 yards (3.2 yards), though he and Hubbard combined for 62 yards through the air. Bryce Young also got in on the action with five carries for 23 yards on his own.
So who was the culprit?
Rookie Ty Hamilton played 10 snaps of run defense. He finished with a grade in this facet of 30.1. This was also an outing that second-year defensive tackle Tyler Davis won’t be proud of. He finished with a mark of 46.8. While Jared Verse led the defense (tied with Bryon Young) with three pressures, he and MLB Nate Landman both had grades in the mid-50’s.
It takes an army to slow down the run. Only Ford and a couple others did their job against the Panthers in the first game.
Emmanuel Forbes was a liability
Week 13 was the highest output by opposing receivers when lined up across Emmanuel Forbes. He allowed catches on all five of his targets for 110 yards, two touchdowns, and a perfect passer rating of 158.3. He also allowed a perfect passer rating in Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts.
While Forbes’ coverage against Tetairoa McMillan was fine initially on the game-losing touchdown, Bryce Young threw McMillan open and helped lead his team over the Rams. LA must be conscious of Young’s ability to extend plays and push the ball down the field in the rematch.
The Rams also ran the hell out of the ball
Blake Corum didn’t have a large workload but gained 81 yards on seven carries with a score. Kyren Williams also broke into the end zone and carried the ball 13 times for 72 yards. Corum had 52 yards after contact with three forced missed tackles and Williams gained 36 yards after colliding with the first defender. This was one of the Rams’ most efficient games from a rushing perspective, but ultimately the game script forced them to be more aggressive and the Panthers limited their drives.
How the Panthers won on defense
Usually when teams don’t blitz often it is because they are getting pressure through organic means. Matthew Stafford has consistently been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL when defenses send additional rushers.
But this game stands out in unique ways.
The veteran once again bested the defense against the blitz. Completing seven of nine passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
Where the Panthers found the edge was when they did not sending extra rushers after Stafford. He threw 19 passes on such plays, completing just 11 for 100 yards and two interceptions. Stafford had a PFF passing grade of 85.5 against the blitz and just 34.0 without.
It’s either unconventional or unsustainable that Carolina was able to find a competitive advantage by not blitzing without generating pressure by the four upfront linemen. We can point to this as a reason to be optimistic about LA’s chances offensively in the rematch, or question whether the Panthers know something about the Rams offense that others don’t. They might not be willing to live and die by the blitz.
This is one of the important games within the game. The Panthers defensive coordinator is former Sean McVay assistant Ejiro Evero. Does he have some tricks up his sleeve for his past head coach?
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