CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Rams (9-3) fell to the Panthers 31-28 on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.

Untimely turnovers, one offensive possession in the third quarter, and an uncharacteristic performance by Los Angeles' defense both had a hand in the loss.

Reaching the Carolina 22 trailing 31-28 with 2:34 remaining in the fourth quarter, Los Angeles lost the ball after quarterback Matthew Stafford was strip-sacked and Carolina (7-6) recovered, returning the fumble 20 yards to its own 49. However, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Carolina's sideline moved the ball back 15 yards to their own 34.

Armed with two timeouts and the two-minute warning, L.A. had a chance to get the ball back, but Panthers quarterback Bryce Young's 10-yard completion to wide receiver Jalen Coker on 3rd and 5 from from the Panthers 39 just before the two minute warning effectively sealed the game, as the Rams had burned both of their timeouts by that point.

Running back Kyren Williams left the game late in the first half with an ankle injury and was initially questionable to return before re-entering the game on their first offensive series of the second half. He and running back Blake Corum each rushed for one touchdown, and collectively carried the ball 20 times for 153 yards.

Stafford finished 18 of 28 passing for 243 yards and two touchdowns, with two interceptions in addition to the lost fumble.

Defensively, the Rams allowed 164 yards on the ground to the Panthers, their second-most allowed in a single game this season behind 179 by the Rams in Week 6.

Here is the complete game recap, presented by Bob's Discount Furniture:

Thanks to a Ronnie Rivers kickoff return to midfield and ensuing 15-yard penalty against the Panthers, the Rams began the first drive at the Panthers 35. They capitalized with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Davante Adams to take an early 7-0 lead.

Carolina responded with a 35-yard touchdown pass from Young to Hubbard on the following series to tie the game 7-7 midway through the first quarter.

Los Angeles was well-positioned to answer with a touchdown of their own on the following drive, until Stafford's pass from the Carolina 8-yard line intended for Colby Parkinson was deflected at the line of scrimmage and intercepted in the endzone by safety Nick Scott.

Stafford's second interception came on the next series, and Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson returned it 48 yards for a touchdown to give the Panthers a 14-7 lead with 1:10 left in the first quarter. Back-to-back picks for Stafford came after entering the game having thrown just two interceptions all season.

After the Rams' defense forced the Panthers to punt on the following drive, Stafford course-corrected on the next series and fired a seven-yard touchdown pass to Adams to tie the game 14-14 with 12:46 left in the second quarter.

Carolina added a 33-yard field goal to regain the lead 17-14 with 5:33 left in the first half, then the Rams answered with a 2-yard touchdown run by Corum to regain the lead 21-17 with just under two minutes before halftime.

The Panthers regained the lead on the opening drive of the second half via a 33-yard touchdown pass from Young to Coker to go up 24-21 with 8:48 left in the third quarter. In that quarter, the Rams offense ran just three plays and possessed the ball for only 1 minute and 50 seconds.

Early the in fourth quarter, defensive end Braden Fiske's timely second down sack set up a third-and-long for Carolina that ended with an incomplete pass, forcing it to punt and keep L.A.'s deficit at just three.

On the first play ensuing drive, Corum broke off a 34-yard run, Nacua made a one-handed, 30-yard catch and the Rams eventually regained the lead 28-24 on a 7-yard touchdown run by Williams.

However, the Panthers regained the lead 31-28 on a 43-yard touchdown pass from Bryce Young to Tetairoa McMillan on the next series with 6:34 left in the fourth quarter.

What would be the Rams' final offensive possession ending with a fumble recovered by the Panthers, and the ensuing third-down completion by Young, sealed the result.