Colby Parkinson Made An Insane TD Catch Late And The Rams Barely Get Out Of Carolina Alive As Huge Wild Card Favorites
If Saturday afternoon was any indication, we are in for an unbelievable NFL Tournament.
The Rams went into Charlotte, NC, as huge favorites and barely survived against the underdog Panthers, thanks in part to an insane throw and catch from Matt Stafford and Colby Parkinson.
Under a minute to play, Rams needed a TD to take the lead, and the 1st Team All-Pro finds his tight end along the sideline.
Good throw, better catch.
The Panthers had a chance late but could not convert on 4th and long.
Puka Nacua was unreal, grabbing 10 balls for 111 yards and a TD. He added a rushing TD on a ball that Stafford threw his way that ended up being ruled a backwards pass.
Stafford was cruising early, and then he seemed to injure his hand in the second quarter.
In his first 12 attempts after the injury, he went 2/12 for 24 yards and 1 INT. The Fox broadcast (Joe Davis and Greg Olson were excellent on the call) said he never really went for treatment, but I'll say, as a guy on his couch, eating veggie pizza and watching the game from hundreds of miles away, it sure looked like the injury bothered him.
He seemed to get better late, and that throw to Parkinson was pretty, pretty good.
The Panthers grabbed the lead late, thanks to a sick throw from Bryce Young to Jalen Coker.
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Coker had a breakout game, going 9 for 134 and a TD. Young was pretty good, too.
The Rams were the largest road favorite in the Super Bowl Era - a loss would have been one of the biggest NFL Playoff upsets of all time. But LA had too much offensive firepower. They gave up some huge plays on defense, and Stafford struggled for a period, but they found a way to win.
Depending on how the games play out, they can play any team BUT the Packers in the Divisional Round, but the Rams look like a legit threat to win the NFC. They got tested on Sunday and responded late.
What a game. Hell of a start to the NFL Playoffs.