The Carolina Panthers proved they belong in the NFC South conversation with a decisive Week 13 victory over the Los Angeles Rams at home, improving to 7-6 while the defending conference contenders fell to 9-3.

Bryce Young connected on two fourth-down touchdown passes in the second half, while Matthew Stafford imploded with three turnovers—two interceptions and a lost fumble—that proved catastrophic. The Panthers now sit 6-1 in one-score games and trail only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by half a game in the division.

Stafford's Streak Ends Spectacularly

Stafford arrived in Charlotte riding an NFL-record streak of 28 touchdown passes without an interception, dating back to Week 3. That dominance evaporated in the first half when Mike Jackson returned an interception 48 yards for a pick-six on a pass intended for Puka Nacua.

The Rams' quarterback matched his season total of two interceptions in a single game—a jarring regression from last season when he threw only eight picks across 16 games. Defensive tackle Derrick Brown capped the Panthers' defensive clinic by forcing a fumble that Carolina recovered in Panthers territory.

Stafford threw early, setting up Davante Adams for a touchdown on the Rams' opening drive, but the protection unraveled as the game progressed. The Rams are now 4-3 in NFC play this season—a critical weakness with their remaining schedule consisting entirely of divisional opponents: the Cardinals (twice), Lions, Seahawks, and Falcons.

Los Angeles has little margin for error if they want to secure a first-round playoff bye.

Young Delivers When It Matters

While Bryce Young rarely puts up eye-popping statistics—he entered Sunday with just two games exceeding 200 passing yards—the second-year quarterback stepped up decisively in crucial moments.

The Panthers dominated the second half with a ground-focused attack that ran 29 plays on their first three drives, attempting just eight passes for 116 yards. Young's two fourth-down touchdown strikes proved decisive: a 33-yard completion to Jalen Coker on fourth-and-2 and a 43-yard bomb to rookie Tetairoa McMillan on the same situation.

Even after the McMillan score, Young had accumulated only 196 passing yards. If Carolina's ground game continues thriving, the offense won't need spectacular performances from its young signal-caller—just clutch execution when the game demands it.

Adams Owns the Red Zone

Davante Adams scored two more touchdowns Sunday to extend his league-leading receiving touchdown total to 13 on the season. The veteran has torched defenses in the red zone, accounting for 11 touchdowns in the Rams' past six games.

Remarkably, only two of those scores involved completions exceeding four yards. Adams has become the NFL's most reliable end-zone target, forcing the Rams to abandon run packages in favor of featuring their 32-year-old star whenever points are within reach.

What's Next

The Rams travel to Arizona next week to face the Cardinals in a critical division matchup. Los Angeles needs to reverse its NFC play—especially after earlier losses to the 49ers—with the playoff race tightening.

Carolina gets a bye in Week 14 before resuming play against the Saints on December 14, followed by a divisional showdown with Tampa Bay the following Sunday.