Panthers to host Rams in wild-card round of playoffs: Date, time announced

The Carolina Panthers will host the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round of the 2026 NFL playoffs later this week.

The NFL announced the wild-card round slate of matchups on Sunday night. The clash between the Panthers (8-9) and the Rams (12-5) at Bank of America Stadium will take place on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. on FOX.

Carolina previously played Los Angeles in Week 13 of the regular season in a 31-28 home win for the Panthers. The rematch will have a similar setting on Mint Street.

Following the Atlanta Falcons’ 19-17 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, the Panthers clinched their first playoff berth since 2017 and first NFC South title since 2015.

The matchup will be the Panthers’ first home playoff game since the 2015 postseason. Carolina famously pushed all the way to Super Bowl 50 during that campaign.

The Panthers’ standing as the reigning NFC South champions entitled them to at least one home game. Carolina is slated as the No. 4 seed in the NFC playoffs, so the only way the team would receive another home matchup in the postseason is if they made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game and the Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles were all eliminated after the divisional round.

The Panthers’ 8-9 record is the franchise’s best outcome since 2017. The division title win has also curbed a four-year reign by the Buccaneers, and the NFC South crown (and playoff berth) is the first captured under the ownership of David and Nicole Tepper.

Panthers head coach Dave Canales and GM Dan Morgan, in their second season together as a leadership tandem, built the 2025 roster around an impressive rookie class and several new veterans on defense.

Third-year quarterback Bryce Young posted career-high numbers in all major passing categories as he posted an 8-8 record as a starter. Wideout Tetairoa McMillan, a first-round draft pick, is a favorite for the 2025 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award, and cornerback Jaycee Horn has become a back-to-back Pro Bowl selection with a career-high five interceptions this season.

This story was originally published January 4, 2026 at 9:57 PM.