NFL: Wild Card Weekend Preview + CFP Semifinals Tonight

Reese, Kmac, Pam and Alex discuss this upcoming Wild Card weekend.

The (8-9) Carolina Panthers and the (12-5) Los Angeles Rams are set to meet tomorrow in an NFC Wild Card playoff matchup that opens Wild Card Weekend. Carolina enters as the NFC South champion and will host the game at Bank of America Stadium, earning a home playoff spot despite a (8-9) sub-.500 regular-season record. The Panthers are back in the postseason for the first time in about a decade and are coming in with confidence after defeating the Rams earlier in the season.

The Rams, meanwhile, arrive as the stronger team on paper and one of the more dangerous wild-card entrants in the field. Los Angeles finished the regular season with a much better record and features a balanced offense, a productive run game and playoff experience across the roster. The Rams are widely viewed as favorites despite being on the road, but the combination of a hostile environment, recent history between the teams, and Carolina’s momentum makes the matchup compelling. It sets up as a classic playoff contrast between an underdog division winner playing at home and a proven contender looking to make a deep postseason run. Can the Panthers beat the Rams tomorrow?