CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When a kickoff return to midfield and an unnecessary roughness penalty put the Rams at the Carolina Panthers 35 to open Sunday’s game, and when the Rams converted that short field into yet another Davante Adams touchdown, it looked like the Rams were on their way to another easy victory.
But in the next four possessions, the script turned. No one picked up Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard out of the backfield for a 35-yard touchdown catch-and-run. Quarterback Matthew Stafford, who one possession earlier broke the NFL record with 28 consecutive touchdown passes without an interception, saw his 318-pass streak end when his throw bounced off a defensive tackle’s helmet and into former Ram Nick Scott’s arms.
Then, two dropbacks later, Stafford was intercepted again, this one returned by Mike Jackson. All of a sudden, the Rams found themselves trailing for the first time since Week 6, and in what would prove to be a 10-round heavyweight bout.
Two ties, five lead changes and, in the end, too many mistakes for the Rams (9-3) to overcome as their six-game winning streak came to an end in a 31-28 loss.
Even after the two interceptions, even after allowing the Panthers (7-6) to run 4.5 yards per carry and convert 10 of 17 attempts on third and fourth down, the Rams still had an opportunity to take back the lead.
Facing third-and-5 from the Carolina 17, a delay of game penalty pushed it third-and-10. Stafford had to hold the ball to allow his receivers to get open, only to fumble upon contact from defensive tackle Derrick Brown.
Carolina defensive tackle D.J. Wonnum recovered the ball, and the Panthers got the requisite first down to close out the game.
After halftime, it felt like the Panthers had taken control of the game. A fourth-down, 33-yard pass to Jalen Coker put Carolina ahead, then their run game kept the offense on the field after a Rams three-and-out. Carolina ran 20 plays to the Rams’ three in the third quarter.
But a holding call and a Braden Fiske sack stalled Carolina’s momentum. Those two mistakes by the Panthers were enough to get the ball back to the Rams offense. And the Rams offense was tired of sitting on the sidelines, and in six plays the group flipped the entire game on its head.
It started with a simple enough handoff to Blake Corum. But the second-year back bounced outside and ran behind a bulldozer block by receiver Jordan Whittington to pick up 34 yards. Corum and Kyren Williams picked up six and 12 yards on the next two carries before a no-gain pass to Colby Parkinson.
On the next snap, Puka Nacua lined up to the left and ran a go route. Stafford never looked anywhere else, even Nacua’s stutter-step didn’t lose his defender. No matter, Stafford let the ball go and Nacua reached out with his right hand with his back turned to the ball. Somehow, Nacua maintained control to the ground with just the one hand.
After the 30-yard gain, the Rams returned to the ground for a seven-yard touchdown run from Williams to retake the lead.
The Rams defense got the Panthers into another fourth down, with a chance to get the ball back to their offense to end the game. But cornerback Emmanuel Forbes, who had been in coverage on the touchdown to Coker, let rookie Tet McMillan behind him for the winning 43-yard touchdown.