Studs and duds from the Panthers' playoff loss to Rams

The 2025 Carolina Panthers threw one last punch on Saturday night, and it nearly knocked out a Super Bowl favorite.

In spite of the odds, the early miscues and the deficits, the 8-9 Panthers stood tall against the mighty Los Angeles Rams. While their valiant efforts fell short, in a heartbreaking 34-31 loss, Carolina proved that they were strong enough to belong in the postseason.

So, which players came through with the most fight?

Here are our studs (and duds) from the wild-card round defeat . . .

Stud: QB Bryce Young

Young shook off an early interception to resurrect the Panthers from multiple double-digit deficits. He finished having completed 21 of his 40 throws for 264 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 24 more yards and another score.

He wasn't perfect, but Young caught a rhythm and made a number of big-time throws to keep his team in the bout.

Dud: Running game

Carolina, unlike in the Week 13 win over the Rams, was unable to live off the run. They dialed up 19 rushes out of the backfield, which resulted in just 59 yards (3.1 yards per attempt).

Running back Rico Dowdle just about disappeared, tallying nine yards on five carries.

Dud: RB Trevor Etienne

Etienne muffed a punt late in the second quarter that could've led to an early death sentence for the Panthers. He would almost botch away another later in the game.

Stud: WR Jalen Coker

Coker threw himself a coming-out party, recording nine catches for a game-high 134 yards and a touchdown. He notched clutch receptions of 37 yards and 52 yards.

Stud: WR Tetairoa McMillan

McMillan also shined in his playoff debut. The 2025 first-round pick amassed five grabs for 81 yards.

Dud: WR Xavier Legette

Carolina's 2024 first-round pick ended his disappointing sophomore campaign on a low note.

Legette had one catch for eight yards. After seeing a career-low snap share in the regular-season finale, he was even put on kick return duties here in the wild-card round.

Stud: CB Mike Jackson

Jackson put quite a bow on his second season in Carolina. He notched four passes defensed, including an interception of MVP frontrunner Matthew Stafford.

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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers vs. Rams: Studs and duds from the wild-card round loss