An instant classic took place at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday when the Rams took on the Panthers to kick off Wild Card weekend. Four lead changes in the fourth quarter and some late-game heroics ultimately led to a comeback victory for the Rams in a game that at one point felt lost.
Here are five interesting stats from the Rams' 34-31 victory in Carolina.
Four lead changes is the fourth quarter is tied for the most in a Rams game during Sean McVay's head coaching tenure, according to nflverse data
The Rams have played one other game since 2017 that featured three or more lead changes in the fourth quarter: The legendary shootout against Kansas City in Week 11 of 2018. The Rams won both games, and quarterback Matthew Stafford led the way.
Stafford added 57.3% to the Rams' win probability in the fourth quarter, according to Next Gen Stats
That's the 13th-most win probability added by a quarterback in the fourth quarter this season. That means the Rams' probability of winning before versus after each of Stafford's 15 dropbacks in the fourth quarter added up to a 57.3% increase compared to what the average quarterback/team would achieve.
He completed 12 of 15 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns in the final 15 game minutes. Before the final drive, Stafford told wide receiver Davante Adams, "Let's go snatch these guys' hearts," and that's exactly what he did. It was the 42nd fourth-quarter comeback of Stafford's career, including playoffs.
Tight end Colby Parkinson's game-winning touchdown had a completion probability of 27.3%, according to Next Gen Stats
Stafford "couldn't have walked up and put it any better" for Parkinson on the 19-yard, back-shoulder touchdown grab that put the Rams up 34-31 with less than a minute remaining, the tight end said postgame.
Completion probability measures "the likelihood any one pass is completed based on the level of difficulty of the throw using in-play metrics which include pass air distance (from quarterback to receiver), air yards, the distance between the receiver and the nearest defender, the distance between the quarterback and the nearest pass rusher, the speed of the quarterback at throw, among several other metrics."
It was the fifth-least probable completion for Stafford this season and the third-least for any quarterback in the first five Wild Card games.
The Panthers averaged 3.1 yards per carry on designed runs, their fourth-lowest mark of the season, according to Next Gen Stats
One of the keys to this game was stopping the run. When these teams met in Week 13, Carolina controlled the game by consistently putting themselves in short-distance third and fourth downs. They averaged 4.0 yards per carry and totaled 141 yards on designed runs. In this game, they finished with 59 yards in that context.
There were some defensive lapses for Los Angeles in the pass game, but they refused to let the Panthers dictate the pace of this matchup on the ground, and that made a big difference throughout. Carolina converted on just five of their 12 third downs and went 0-for-3 on fourth down as a result (33% combined). In the last matchup, they converted 10 of 18 third and fourth downs (55.6%).
The Rams' nine penalties and 83 penalty yards were both season-highs
Los Angeles has been the least-penalized team in the NFL over the last five seasons, but yesterday featured a departure from the norm. In the regular season, the Rams were never penalized more than eight times or for more than 63 yards, but in the six games where they committed more than five penalties, they only lost once.
The Rams continued to beat the odds by winning Saturday's game, despite being penalized five more times and for 48 more yards than Carolina.
