The Rams and Panthers meet for the second time this season, the key difference being that this one is win-or-go-home.
The fourth-seeded Panthers (8-9) took the NFC South to earn a home game on Wild Card Weekend, while the fifth-seeded Rams, despite a 12-5 record, have to fly cross-country. (Should the NFL consider altering its seeding format? Hmm.)
The Rams and Panthers NFC Wild Card match kicks off Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
Below, we'll break down our Rams and Panthers prediction and picks for this NFC Wild Card game, including the top player picks on PrizePicks' real money NFL game, among them Rams QB Matthew Stafford and WR Puka Nacua, and Panthers QB Bryce Young.
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Rams vs. Panthers Over/Under Picks, Spread
The Rams and Panthers met in Week 13, with Carolina prevailing 31-28, ending a Rams' six-game win streak. The Rams committed a season-high 3 turnovers in the game with MVP-candidate Matthew Stafford tossing 2 INTs.
The Rams enter the NFC Wild Card contest as 10.5-point road favorites, returning a 1.14x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win.
The Panthers are home underdogs with a 4.76x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
- Spread: Los Angeles Rams -10.5
- Total: 46.5
- Game Winner Payout: Rams 1.14x | Panthers 4.76x
Rams vs. Panthers Prediction on Spread
The Rams enter as 10.5-point road favorites over the Panthers, the largest road spread in NFL playoff history.
- Rams head coach Sean McVay and his crew finished the regular season 12-5 against the spread, tied with the Seahawks and Jaguars for the best ATS record.
- L.A. was 11-4 to the spread as a favorite this season, the most road covers for any team. This includes a 4-2 record as a road favorite.
- Saturday’s game will be the fourth this season in which the Rams are favored by double digits. They went 2-1 in those games, losing to Carolina and covering against New Orleans and Arizona (last week).
- The Rams lead the NFL in scoring at 30.5 PPG, total offense at 394.6 yards per game, and passing offense (268.1).
- Per FTN’s DVOA, the Rams offense is first, and defense is ranked fourth, the only team to have both units in the top five.
- The Panthers are 10-7 against the spread this season, including an NFL-best nine covers as an underdog (9-5).
- In 2025, Carolina is 8-0 ATS after a straight-up loss, covering the spread by 10.4 PPG. Per The Action Network, they are the first team since 1990 to go 8-0 against the spread following a loss.
- This is the third game this season in which the Panthers are a double-digit underdog. They won outright the two previous times, beating Green Bay as a 13-point underdog in Week 9 and the Rams in the first matchup in Week 13 as a 10-point underdog.
- The Panthers are 27th in the NFL in scoring offense at 18.3 PPG and in total offense at 295.6 yards per game.
- On the defensive side, Carolina is 16th in scoring (22.4 PPG) and total defense (327.2 yards per game).
Rams vs. Panthers Picks for PrizePicks
Here are three Rams and Panthers player picks for Wild Card Weekend for PrizePicks real money NFL game, including Rams QB Matthew Stafford and WR Puka Nacua, and Panthers QB Bryce Young.
Pick More or Less on these projections on PrizePicks — plus thousands more — to win real money this NFL season. Or, make your picks on winners, spreads, and over/unders on Team Picks, now available in 30 states.
Rams QB Matthew Stafford Projection vs. Panthers: 268.5 Pass Yards
- Rams QB Matthew Stafford has reached his passing projection in 11 of 17 games this season.
- Stafford tossed for 250+ yards in five straight games and in 11 of 17.
- He has 2+ TDs in 11 straight games, the longest active streak in the NFL, and in 15 of 17. Nine of those games have been 3+ TD performances.
- The Rams signal caller had the most passing TDs in the NFL this season (46) and passing yards (4,707). His 109.2 passer rating placed him second.
Rams WR Puka Nacua Projection vs. Panthers: 90.5 Receiving Yards
- Despite not reaching his receiving projection in the final two games of the season, Rams WR Puka Nacua hit his receiving yards projection in 10 of his 16.
- The listed projected receiving mark of 90.5 yards is the fifth straight game in which the projection for Nacua has been over 90. He topped his projection in two of four games.
- The All-Pro recorded 6+ targets and 5+ receptions in all 15 full games he played this season, reaching 75+ yards in 12.
- Nacua finished the season with the most receptions in the NFL with 129, and was second in receiving yards at 1,715 — this despite missing one full game and the second half of another.
Panthers QB Bryce Young Projection vs. Rams: 189.5 Pass Yards
- Panthers QB Bryce Young reached his passing projection in only four of his 16 starts.
- The 189.5 passing projection is the lowest for Young since Week 13.
- Young has 12 games this season not reaching 200 yards passing, and three of more than 260.
- The former top pick's passer rating landed at 87.8, 21st among qualified QBs, and the highest of his three seasons in the NFL.
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Make Rams vs. Panthers Predictions on PrizePicks
Can the Panthers shock the Rams for the second time this season? Or will the Rams start a Super Bowl match with a road playoff win?
With the playoffs kicking off, there's no better place to get real money action with your NFL predictions than on PrizePicks.
There is a wide variety of player stat projections on the NFL board, so you can make predictions on whatever you'd like — from yards to field goals. Just pick your players, predict More or Less on their stats, and cash in on your predictions if you're right. Or, make your picks on winners, spreads, and over/unders on Team Picks, now available in 30 states.
It's the simplest way to get real-money action on NFL action.
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