For the first time since 2017, the Carolina Panthers have made the playoffs. While it isn't the simplest or most glamorous of ticket punches, they play the games for a reason. And anything can happen.
But how are the Panthers going to make any kind of noise when almost everyone is writing them off?
Well, the recipe for success is quite simple when facing a Los Angeles Rams team that the Panthers have already defeated this season. Simple just doesn't mean easy.
Matt Stafford has been an MVP-level quarterback this year. Getting back Davante Adams is also nothing to sniff at, with Puka Nacua also playing at an elite clip. With that said, the NFC South has been a bit of a stumbling block this year for the Rams.
Carolina Panthers' playoff upset runs through containing Matthew Stafford
Stafford had his worst performances against the bottom division of the NFC late in the season. Tallying up four touchdowns to five interceptions against the Atlanta Falcons and Panthers. The common denominator in those games? Keeping the quarterback off balance and capitalizing on the opportunities.
This has been a thorn in the Panthers' side this season. There have been so many times when the team has bailed out the opposition by failing to capitalize on the free opportunities given to them. This cannot happen if Carolina wants its shot at a monumental upset.
It is even more essential that the Panthers do this. Even with all of those turnovers and the lackluster play at times in those two losses, Stafford was able to roar back and at least make things close, if not almost win.
That is what elite players do. They never give up and are always a problem that needs to be accounted for, even on an off day.
Stafford is capable of making spectacular throws and tearing apart defenses. That all came up for naught in the end during his last visit to Bank of America Stadium, but it made things way closer than they needed to be.
Add to that the fact that Carolina's run game has not exactly been stellar lately, and it remains to be seen how Bryce Young will fare in this kind of pressure. That makes it even more vital to keep Stafford off balance early and play from a position of strength.
Having a lead and keeping it is the only way the Panthers will make any noise in this game.