Panthers Get Three Takeaways Off Matthew Stafford, Beat Rams 31-28

The Panthers have pulled off a major upset, defeating the Rams 31-28 on a rainy day in Charlotte.

Carolina picked up three takeaways off of Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford — two of which came deep in Panthers territory — and got timely touchdowns on fourth downs to defeat the club that came in with the NFC's best record.

Former Ram Nick Scott had the first interception off of Stafford, the quarterback's first pick since Week 3, on a pass that went off the helmet of defensive tackle Derrick Brown at the line of scrimmage. Then cornerback Mike Jackson had a pick-six, returning it 48 yards to the end zone late in the first quarter.

Then Brown had the last takeaway, strip-sacking Stafford on third-and-10 from the Carolina 22 with just 2:34 left in the contest. If the Rams had not given the ball away at that point, the club would’ve had an opportunity to kick a game-tying field goal.

The Panthers sealed the victory with a 10-yard pass on third-and-5 from quarterback Bryce Young to Jalen Coker just ahead of the two-minute warning. Because Los Angeles had no more timeouts, Carolina took three knees to make the win official.

Young played well in the conditions, completing 15-of-20 passes for 206 yards with three touchdowns. He tossed a 33-yard touchdown to Coker on fourth-and-and 3 in the third quarter and a go-ahead 43-yard touchdown to Tetairoa McMillan on fourth-and-2 with 6:43 left in the final period.

The Panthers controlled the clock with the run, rushing 40 times for 164 yards on the day. Chuba Hubbard led with 83 yards on 17 carries while Rico Dowdle had 58 yards on 18 attempts. Hubbard also had two catches for 41 yards with a TD while Dowdle had two receptions for 21 yards.

The Rams also ran the ball well, but the turnovers helped negate that performance. Blake Corum had a career-high 81 yards on seven carries with Kyren Williams taking 13 carries for 72 yards. Both Williams and Corum had a touchdown.

Carolina’s victory over Los Angeles has consequences all over the NFC. At 7-6, the Panthers are a half-game back of Tampa Bay in the NFC South. They will have their bye in Week 14.

At 9-3, the Rams have fallen out of the NFC’s No. 1 seed — ceding that position to the Bears. Los Angeles will stay atop the NFC West even if Seattle defeats Minnesota on Sunday by virtue of the club’s head-to-head victory over the Seahawks earlier this year.

The Rams will be on the road to face the Cardinals in Week 14.