CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Rams held on to defeat the Panthers 34-31 at Bank of America Stadium, with quarterback Matthew Stafford's game-winning touchdown drive in the fourth quarter the difference in Saturday's wild card playoff game to send Los Angeles to the divisional round.

After Carolina rallied to gain a 31-27 lead with 2:39 remaining on a 7-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Bryce Young to wide receiver Jalen Coker, Stafford led Los Angeles on a go-ahead scoring drive capped by his 19-yard touchdown pass to regain the lead for L.A. with 38 seconds left.

On the ensuing series, three-consecutive incompletions by Young forced the Panthers to go for it on 4th and 10 from their own 28. Safety Quentin Lake – making his return from his Week 11 elbow injury – broke up Young's final pass attempt to secure the victory, and help the Rams overcome several opportunities and untimely uncharacteristic mistakes – especially drops and missed throws that are normally catches and completions.

Stafford finished the game 24 for 42 passing for 304 yards and three touchdowns against one interception, while wide receiver Puka Nacua led the team with 10 catches for 111 yards and one touchdown and also rushing three times for 14 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Davante Adams added five receptions for 72 yards in his return from injury, including a pair of clutch ones on what became the game-winning drive.

Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon exited the game with a shoulder injury and was initially questionable to return before being downgraded to out midway through the third quarter.

Here is the complete game recap:

After a fourth-down pass breakup by Lake on the opening drive, the Rams found the endzone four plays later on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Nacua to take a 7-0 lead with 11:35 left in the first quarter.

Cobie Durant's interception off a tipped ball by Lake into traffic late in the first quarter, plus an ensuing unnecessary roughness penalty against Carolina, brought Los Angeles' offense to the Carolina 48. Seven players later, Nacua's five-yard rushing touchdown put the Rams up 14-0 with 12:16 remaining in the second quarter.

The Panthers answered with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by running back Chuba Hubbard to cut the Rams' lead to seven with 8:53 to play in the second quarter.

Back-to-back penalties on second down on the ensuing drive put the Rams' offense in a difficult position, but Stafford overcame that 2nd-and-15 with a 36-yard completion down the seam to tight end Tyler Higbee to take them to the Panthers 34. They eventually settled for a 46-yard field goal by kicker Harrison Mevis to make it 17-7 Rams with 5:24 to go in the first half.

The ensuing series saw the Panthers punt after Hubbard dropped a swing pass from Young which likely would've gotten for a first down had Hubbard caught the ball, given the space in front of him. The Rams ended up punting themselves after Stafford overthrew Adams on a deep ball down the left sideline, but got the ball back after inside linebacker Troy Reeder recovered the muffed punt by the Panthers' Trevor Etienne. On that possession off the special teams takeaway, L.A. went for it on 4th and 3 from the Carolina 19 but was unsuccessful after Stafford's incomplete pass intended for Higbee.

The turnover on downs turned into a 10-point swing. Getting the ball back with 1:31 left in the first half, the Panthers quickly moved into Rams territory via a defensive pass interference penalty and 37-yard completion from quarterback Bryce Young to wide receiver Jalen Coker. The Panthers reached the Rams' 16, then Young ran 16 yards for a touchdown to cut the Rams' lead to 17-14 with 37 seconds left in the first half.

Stafford nearly connected with Nacua deep down the right sideline on 3rd and 10 from the Carolina 46 on the next series, but the ball ricocheted off Nacua's hands, and Los Angeles was forced to punt. Young took a knee to run out the remaining eight seconds and take the game to halftime with the Rams up three.

The Rams offense went 3-and-out to open the second half after three-straight incompletions, which led to a Panthers scoring drive capped off by a 46-yard field goal by kicker Ryan Fitzgerald to tie the game 17-17 with 7:23 left in the third quarter. The drive erased 7 minutes and 8 seconds off the clock.

On the ensuing series, the Rams answered with a 42-yard field goal by Mevis to regain the lead 20-17 with 4:17 left in the third quarter. However, the kickoff return go to the Carolina 31 gained 15 extra yards from an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Rams outside linebacker Desjuan Johnson after the return. Despite the consequent advantageous field position from its own 46, Carolina turned the ball over on downs after Young's incomplete pass intended for Hubbard on 4th and 4 from the Rams 48.

However, the next drive saw Stafford sacked for a loss of nine yards on second down, then intercepted by Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson on third down, giving Carolina the ball back at its own 38. Helped by a 52-yard completion from Young to Coker and an unnecessary roughness penalty against inside linebacker Nate Landman, Carolina took advantage of the takeaway to take the lead 24-20 on a 3-yard touchdown run by Hubbard with 14:34 left in the fourth quarter.

Trailing by four, the Rams reached the Panthers 30 on the next series and kept the drive alive converting 4th and 1 from that spot with a 2-yard run by running back Kyren Williams, and three plays later a Stafford sneak up the middle on 3rd and 1 from the Panthers 19, to regain the lead 27-24 on a 13-yard Stafford touchdown pass to Williams with 8:47 left in the fourth quarter. More important than any of those conversions, though, was Nacua breaking up a would-be interception by Panthers safety Nick Scott in the endzone.

Los Angeles' defense forced a 3-and-out on the next possession. Forced to punt at the end of that drive, Carolina blocked that ensuing punt to regain possession at the L.A. 31 with 4:12 left in the fourth quarter. The takeaway turned into a 7-yard touchdown pass from Young to Coker four plays later that regained Carolina the lead 31-27 with 2:39 left in the fourth quarter.

Stafford's 19-yard touchdown pass to Parkinson, and his equally impressive catch, proved to be the game-winner.