CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford arrived at training camp last July unsure if he would even play during the NFL’s 2025 campaign due to a back injury.
After an MVP-type regular season that included a league-leading 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdown passes, the 37-year-old Stafford has the Rams (12-5) poised to make a run at what would be their second Super Bowl championship in five years.
That quest begins Saturday afternoon with the heavily favored Rams, the NFC’s No. 5 seed, visiting the fourth-seeded Carolina Panthers (8-9) for a wild-card playoff game at Bank of America Stadium.
“There were some lean moments,” Stafford, who received the third Pro Bowl selection of his career this season, said of his rehab from the back injury. “It was touch and go there for a little bit. … A lot of treatments and things that I did to try and help myself get to this point. I didn’t know if I would get there, but I went out there and it was wait and see, let’s see what happens.
“Luckily, it turned out pretty good.”
Next up is a shot at redemption against the Panthers, who beat the visiting Rams 31-28 on Nov. 30, ending a six-game winning streak for Los Angeles. Rams coach Sean McVay called the result “humbling” for his team.
From there, the Rams stumbled down the stretch, losing the inside track to the conference No. 1 seed and home-field advantage leading up to the Super Bowl with a heartbreaking 38-37 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks in an NFC West Division matchup on Dec. 18.
Now, with wide receiver Davante Adams returning from a hamstring injury, the Rams believe they are ready to make a run.
“I just don’t take any of these opportunities for granted,” said Stafford, who was the first pick of the 2009 NFL draft and spent a dozen seasons in Detroit before the Lions traded him to the Rams in 2021. “I don’t take them for granted because I’ve had years where I either haven’t been able to play in the playoffs or I haven’t been able to play in certain games because of injury. It feels great to be at this point.”
The Panthers are 5-2 in home playoff games in their 31-year history.
Carolina enters the rematch as a 10 1/2-point underdog, according to BetMGM Sportsbook — the same point spread as the Week 13 game against the Rams — after losing three of its final four games and needing the Falcons to beat the Saints in Week 18 just to get into the postseason as the division champion of the woeful NFC South.
Still, the Panthers know they can beat the Rams.
Carolina controlled the clock in the first meeting. The Panthers racked up 164 rushing yards on 40 carries, while Bryce Young — the No. 1 pick of the 2023 draft — had a career day, completing 15 of 20 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns for the second-highest quarterback rating (147.1) in franchise history.
Meanwhile, the home team’s defense forced three turnovers by Stafford and snapped his NFL-record streak of 28 touchdown passes without an interception.
“We know we can win,” Panthers safety Nick Scott said. “We have won multiple times, and it doesn’t matter who the opponent is. We are just excited to be in the playoffs. The intensity will be through the roof.”