As the dust starts to settle on Week 18 of the 2025 NFL season, the Carolina Panthers have officially punched their ticket to the NFL playoffs, with Bryce Young and company winning the NFC South division title.
Even though the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers got the best of the Panthers in the regular-season finale on Saturday, Carolina was fortunate enough to have things go in their favor on Sunday, with the Atlanta Falcons taking down the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Now things start to get really interesting for the Panthers, as they will perhaps have the toughest challenge of any playoff-bound team right out of the gate against potentially the best team in the NFL right now.
Panthers’ Next Opponent: Who Will Carolina Play in the NFL Playoffs?
GettyMatthew Stafford #9 of the Los Angeles Rams
As a result of clinching the No. 4 seed in the NFC, the Panthers will face the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Wild Card round next weekend, with the first set of games set to be played on Saturday, January 10.
Although the Panthers arguably had their best performance of the season against Matthew Stafford and the Rams in Week 13, when they beat them 31-28 at Bank of America Stadium, Los Angeles is a solid all-around team and heads into the playoffs with a record of 12-5.
The Rams have stumbled a bit over the last weeks, losing two of their previous three games, with losses against the Falcons and Seattle Seahawks.
However, Los Angeles has been resilient this season and was able to bounce back on Sunday with a convincing win against division rival Arizona Cardinals, beating them 37-20.
The Rams also have the advantage of having Stafford under center, who is having the best season of his NFL career, while being a two-man race for the NFL MVP award alongside second-year quarterback Drake Maye of the New England Patriots.
Carolina should be confident coming into this matchup, as they clearly know how to beat the Rams and will be playing on their home field. However, it will be tough to take down a team that is in the conversation for being the best in the league heading into the postseason.
NFL Playoff Schedule: Wild Card Round Begins on Saturday, January 10
GettyChuba Hubbard #30 of the Carolina Panthers
Even though this playoff matchup in the NFC Wild Card round is set in stone, the date and time of when the Rams and Panthers will go head-to-head next weekend remain uncertain. The official date and time of this playoff game will be announced on Sunday, January 4.
However, the playoff matchups in the NFC have been officially announced, with the Seahawks securing the first-round bye.
It’ll be interesting to see how things pan out for the Panthers, as they’ll definitely have their work cut out for them heading into the playoffs, as they’re expected to be heavy underdogs against the Rams and potentially underdogs in every playoff game they play if they can get the best of Los Angeles in the Wild Card round next weekend.
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