Matthew Stafford’s late heroics keep Rams’ dreams alive: ‘MVP stuff’

· New York Post

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Rams were on the brink of losing an NFC wild-card playoff game they deserved to lose.

They were trailing an 8-9 Panthers team that had lost three of its final four games of the regular season and backed into the playoffs thanks to a tiebreaker.

Those Panthers, 10 ½-point home underdogs, had just taken a 31-27 lead on a sequence of wild plays — first a blocked punt and then a marvelous third-down touchdown pass by Bryce Young, the other quarterback in this game, with 2:39 remaining.

Colby Parkinson celebrates after catching the game-winning 19-yard touchdown pass in the Rams’ 34-31 comeback win over the Panthers in their NFC wild-card game on Jan. 10, 2026 in Charlotte, N.C. Getty Images

That’s when Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, the favorite to win the league’s MVP award with his 46 TD passes, had a quiet conversation with receiver Davante Adams as the offense took the field down four points and needing a touchdown to advance to the NFC divisional playoff round.