Where was the pivotal moment in the Los Angeles Rams 2025 season? That defining inflection point where they became Super Bowl contenders and set a course for a 12-win campaign?

Week 6 in Baltimore, and Puka Nacua was at the center of it.

As you may have observed, "Earned the Right" is the theme of this playoff push, inspired by the All-Pro receiver's impassioned sideline speech on the inner harbor.

Nacua put together an NFL Offensive Player of the Year season, one of the greatest in league history. He unlocked the end zone; made contested catch after contested catch; reset personal, franchise, and league records.

He was also injured midway through that win over the Ravens.

Paradoxically, the one week he missed may have been his most impactful. Necessity is the mother of invention, and without the gravitational force that is Nacua, the Rams leaned all the way into a new identity that fueled the second half of their season. Both in terms of scheme and disposition, Baltimore is where the 2025 identity was forged. Camden Yards, of all places!

They tripled their tight end usage from that day forward, taking 13-personnel to extreme levels the league had never seen. Top pick Terrance Ferguson scored his first NFL touchdown the next week in London, defeating the Jaguars and ascending from there. Colby Parkinson put together a career-best season, and his eight touchdowns are more than any tight end in franchise history, including Tyler Higbee, who is finally back on the field just in time for the playoffs. The man who makes it all go might just be Davis Allen, who can morph from fullback to inline to receiving tight end on a down-by-down basis.

The end product was a scoring title, the second-best scoring differential in the league, an MVP-caliber campaign by Matthew Stafford, the fifth seed in the NFC, and 12 wins against the NFL's most grueling schedule.

There were also five gut-wrenching, self-inflicted, one-possession defeats. Now the Rams are intent on redeeming those scars, which have become their strength.

"There's really nothing that we haven't seen at this point. Sometimes if you just have this smooth sailing year where you don't have any adversity, you get woken up in a bad way once you get to the playoffs. I think we've seen so many things to where we understand all the possibilities," veteran receiver Davante Adams said this week, as he returns from a hamstring injury that cost him the final three contests, two of which were losses.

Adams came to Los Angeles to win a championship. He's been to the doorstep four times, losing each of those NFC Championship games. Though he led the league in receiving touchdowns for a third time, his season effectively starts now in pursuit of Super Bowl LX.

"We're locked in and hungry enough to be able to conquer some of those things and ultimately get where we want to be."

The Future Is Now

Before we embark on what we hope will be a sustained playoff journey, let's spend a few words on framing this moment in Rams' history.

The head coach and general manager have combined for 100 wins in nine years of partnership.

It's a very short list of pending free agents on the current two-deep. Three captains have been extended since training camp, and we all know what's coming down the pike for Puka Nacua and his classmates.

Meantime, the Rams hold two first-round selections – No. 13 overall is confirmed via the Falcons, and adding No. 32 is the goal.

They'll go into the offseason with more salary cap space than ever before after resetting their books while making three straight playoff trips in 2023, 2024, and 2025.

There's every reason to believe this franchise can be even better in 2026. Now let's leave that for another day, because it will take 12 months and perhaps another 12 regular season wins just to get back to this starting line. There's urgency in this moment because the roster the Rams assembled is largely intact, and they know they can beat any team in the field.

Similar, but Different

On our Wild Card edition of Between the Horns, we discussed some of the ways that the Carolina Panthers have improved and deteriorated since we saw them on the final weekend of November.

Of note, their personnel on the back end – which already derailed Matthew Stafford once – is fortified by the presence of Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn (missed Week 13 with a concussion) and safety Tre'von Moehrig (also did not play versus LA due to suspension).

Apart from three giveaways, it was one of the better days of 2025 for the Rams offense, particularly Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. Can the run game replicate its success on Saturday against a Panthers defense that allowed 20 rushing touchdowns in 2025? Camryn Irwin posed the question to D'Marco Farr on this week's preview show.

When The Rams Are On Offense

2025 marks the ninth season in which the Rams have averaged at least 30 points per game. No other franchise has even seven such seasons. I know there have been some very lean years (decades). But how spoiled are we when it comes to putting up points?

Recall that Matthew Stafford broke Tom Brady's record with his 28^th straight touchdown without an interception in Carolina, finding Adams for an opening-drive score, before former Ram Nick Scott snared a deflected pass in the end zone later in that first quarter.

Adams was the only player with multiple touchdown receptions against Carolina in 2025. The Panthers allowed just 20 passing scores while collecting 15 interceptions (two off Stafford).

Here's what Stafford needs on Saturday to be the most accomplished postseason quarterback in Rams history: one win, two completions, 134 yards passing, one passing touchdown. Not bad for a guy who landed in Los Angeles five years ago without a playoff victory to his name. Now, the only quarterback with more regular season wins as a Ram is Roman Gabriel.

Though Stafford has fileted the blitz this year, the Panthers don't often send extras. They're not a particularly disruptive defense, but we know tackle Derrick Brown has his moments. Linebackers profile as the position group to exploit, and few are better at it than the McVay-Stafford tandem.

When The Rams Are On Defense

There will never be another game like the one the Rams suffered on defense in Week 13 – at least there better not be. The Panthers went 10-of-18 on third-and-fourth down, scoring three explosive passing touchdowns in those money moments.

That good fortune and/or execution has evaporated lately – the Panthers converted just two of 19 third-down attempts in their final two games. They are the most aggressive fourth-down offense in football because they have to be – 27 conversions led the NFL.

One of those explosive fourth-quarter, fourth-down touchdowns belonged to Tetairoa McMillan, who should be the Offensive Rookie of the Year. The game-winner was his only catch that rainy afternoon against the Rams, but he led the Panthers (and all rookies) with 70 catches for 1,014 yards and seven receiving touchdowns.

Making his first playoff start, Bryce Young has been held below 206 passing yards in all but four games this year. He threw for a mere 54 last month in a home loss against the Seahawks. Nonetheless, he's poised under pressure, he's the first Panther with 20 passing touchdowns in a season since Cam Newton in 2018, and Carolina has improved by three wins in each season since selecting Young with the first pick of the 2023 Draft. (Sounds like Newton will be there to fire up the fans at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday.)

As for the running game, the Panthers may be stubborn with it – handing off 40 times against the Rams! –but you cannot categorize them as productive. Carolina finished the year rated 26^th in rushing efficiency, measured by DVOA.

Tweets and Other Deets

Here are a few other bits of context that caught my eye from the week of preparation, including this telling observation about the coaching composition. Sean McVay went from a long run as "youngest coach in the league" to being older than all but two of his competitors in the NFC playoff field.

The cohesion of the offensive line really fueled this campaign. Obviously, the Rams need Kevin Dotson back as soon as possible.

LA was the most efficient and consistent rushing offense in the sport. Even in defeat in Carolina, they averaged better than seven yards per carry against the Panthers.

Ted Nguyen at The Athletic points out that the Rams defense was third in the NFL in points per drive before the Quentin Lake injury, compared to 18th the rest of the way. He's got the power to put things right on that side of the ball.

Up and to the right is always good!

Sean McVay concludes his 9th NFL regular season with 92 wins, matching the late Hall of Famer Bill Walsh (a meaningful connection via his grandfather John McVay). McVay has coached 149 regular season games. Walsh 152. Other names McVay could reasonably reel in as soon as next season (his 10th): Vince Lombardi, Tom Flores, John Madden.

How incredible that Saturday will be 22 years to the day since the most famous play in Panthers' franchise history? X-Clown: Jake Delhomme to Steve Smith for a game-winning 69-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the second overtime for a 29-23 win in St. Louis in the 2003 divisional round. This Saturday marks the first home playoff game for the Panthers since 2015.

But here's one final reminder of how it looked the last time these teams went head-to-head.

On Their Terms

We're entering the time of year where each game could be the last time we see certain Rams in Horns. In keeping with playoff tradition in this space, I like to honor the achievement and sacrifice of players who could be entering free agency (or retirement). I'd love nothing more than to see Rob Havenstein, Tyler Higbee, Tutu Atwell, Kam Curl, Ahkello Witherspoon, Cobie Durant, Darious Williams and others play into February and even extend their Rams careers into 2026. For now, I look forward to their meaningful contributions on Saturday in earning the right to advance to the Divisional Round.