Sean McVay just said the quiet part out loud about facing Panthers in playoffs

The 12-5 Los Angeles Rams must now travel to face the 8-9 Carolina Panthers in Round 1 of the NFL playoffs. On paper, Los Angeles has distinct advantages. But this is the same trek that resulted in a humbling defeat in Week 13. And so, this one is the rematch that players and fans have hoped for.

And oddsmakers have jumped at the chance to set the Rams up as 10-point favorites on the road in the playoffs. Thankfully, head coach Sean McVay hasn't bitten on the bait. In fact, his resolve at a recent press conference hints at something completely different in terms of the team's mindset.

The loss to the Panthers turned the season around for both franchises. For Los Angeles, the loss initiated a bit of a losing streak, as the 9-2 team was only able to scrape together three wins in its final six games. For Carolina, it ended the season with four losses in six games. Still, if not for the miraculous win over LA, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be LA's Wild Card Round opponent.

Can the Rams be caught napping by the Panthers again?

As McVay stated, the Panthers humbled the Horns in their last matchup. But this was a game that pitted a desperate Panthers squad against the same team that had just landed as the top-ranked team in the NFL. Neither condition applies in this game

Los Angeles coughed up the football three times in Week 13. It lost the Time of Possession battle by more than ten minutes. Worst of all, the game was decided by a touchdown on a Panthers' drive that began with just 3:24 on the game clock. But LA's offense drove the football to the Panthers 22-yard line with 2:34 remaining on the clock. But a strip sack of quarterback Matthew Stafford ended the drive.

There were lessons to be learned from that loss. Despite averaging 7.2 yards per carry in the game, the offense stuck with a well-defended passing attack. Of the ten plays in that final drive, the offense ran with the football three times. The final play was an attempted pass, even though more than two minutes remained on the game clock when Stafford fumbled.

The Panthers overloaded to defend the pass in the game, and the offense never adjusted.

A score to settle? Revenge to exact? Perhaps. But it required a flawless game from the Panthers to win by three points over a mistake-riddled LA Rams. That could happen again, but fans should expect this team to be far more prepared.

Even as a wild card team, Los Angeles ends the 2025 season with the fifth-most wins of any team. And just as a matter of coincidence, this season's 12-5 record matched that of the 2021 season, the year that ended with a victory in Super Bowl LVI.

As always, thanks for reading.