Riding a five-game winning streak, the Los Angeles Rams entered Week 13 as the NFC’s hottest team. A big part of the Rams’ success was taking care of the football on offense. However, it only takes one bad game for the momentum that the Rams were carrying to be flipped against them. That was the case when the Rams traveled to face the Carolina Panthers.
Last week, the Panthers’ defense had a great game against the San Francisco 49ers by forcing three interceptions. Unfortunately for the Panthers, their offense was unable to capitalize on those opportunities, and they lost to the 49ers despite their defensive effort. This week, the Panthers recreated their performance, again forcing the Rams to turn the ball over three times.
Those three turnovers included two interceptions against Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who had only thrown two all season. The key turning point came when cornerback Mike Jackson returned one of those interceptions for a pick-six. In addition, the Panthers forced a fumble to seal the win for Carolina when defensive tackle Derrick Brown stripped the ball from Stafford.
The Panthers’ win over the Rams allowed Carolina to keep pace with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the race for the NFC South. Improving their record to 7-6, Carolina could be dangerous if they make the playoffs. Continuing to force turnovers and converting takeaways into points will be critical.
