NFC Divisional: Carolina Panthers at St. Louis Rams (Edward Jones Dome), with a Conference Championship spot at stake. Kickoff time: 4:30pm. Winner advances to the Conference Championship. The losing team's season is over.
The divisional round is where the bracket is supposed to take its real shape. Carolina Panthers traveling to St. Louis Rams at Edward Jones Dome, with the league watching to see whether the better team or the better matchup wins. Bye-week home favorites carry the weight of expectation; the visiting wild-card winner walks in with no one expecting them and nothing to lose.
The bracket has narrowed to the teams that survived the regular season. Carolina Panthers and St. Louis Rams are two of them; the rest of the league is in scouting mode for the offseason. What happens in Edward Jones Dome shifts the rest of the tree: a road favorite winning rearranges seeding expectations; a home upset shows the bracket math underweights heart.
Carolina Panthers versus St. Louis Rams in the NFC Divisional. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Carolina Panthers-St. Louis Rams cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 14-2 | W12 |
| Miami Dolphins | 10-6 | W2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6-10 | L3 |
| New York Jets | 6-10 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | 10-6 | W2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8-8 | L2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6-10 | L1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 5-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 12-4 | W1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 12-4 | W3 |
| Houston Texans | 5-11 | L4 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 5-11 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | 13-3 | W1 |
| Denver Broncos | 10-6 | L1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 4-12 | L2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4-12 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Rams | 12-4 | L1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 10-6 | W2 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7-9 | L1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4-12 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | 12-4 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 10-6 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 5-11 | L3 |
| New York Giants | 4-12 | L8 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 10-6 | W4 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 9-7 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 7-9 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 5-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 11-5 | W3 |
| New Orleans Saints | 8-8 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7-9 | L2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5-11 | W2 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 0 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 010162323 |
| St. Louis Rams | 3 | 6 | 3 | 11 | 39122323 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Jeff Wilkins 20 yard field goal | 0-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Jeff Wilkins 26 yard field goal | 0-6 |
| Panthers | Muhsin Muhammad offensive fumble recovery in end zone ( John Kasay kick) | 7-6 |
| Rams | Jeff Wilkins 24 yard field goal | 7-9 |
| Panthers | John Kasay 45 yard field goal | 10-9 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rams | Jeff Wilkins 51 yard field goal | 10-12 |
| Panthers | John Kasay 52 yard field goal | 13-12 |
| Panthers | John Kasay 34 yard field goal | 16-12 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Panthers | Brad Hoover 7 yard rush ( John Kasay kick) | 23-12 |
| Rams | Marshall Faulk 1 yard rush ( Dane Looker pass from Marc Bulger ) | 23-20 |
| Rams | Jeff Wilkins 33 yard field goal | 23-23 |
| OT | ||
| Panthers | Steve Smith Sr. 69 yard pass from Jake Delhomme | 29-23 |
| Panthers | Rams | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 24 | 23 |
| Total Yards | 485 | 380 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 16/27 | 27/46 |
| Pass yards | 290 | 332 |
| Pass TD | 1 | 0 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 3 |
| Sacks taken | 3 | 2 |
| Sack yards lost | 21 | 16 |
| Net pass yards | 269 | 316 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 41 | 23 |
| Rush yards | 216 | 64 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 1 | 0 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties | 13 | 5 |
| Penalty yards | 92 | 33 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAR | |||||
| Jake Delhomme | 16/26 | 290 | 1 | 1 | |
| Steve Smith Sr. | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| STL | |||||
| Marc Bulger | 27/46 | 332 | 0 | 3 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAR | ||||
| DeShaun Foster | 21 | 95 | 0 | 17 |
| Stephen Davis | 6 | 86 | 0 | 64 |
| Nick Goings | 6 | 22 | 0 | 9 |
| Brad Hoover | 2 | 9 | 1 | 7 |
| Steve Smith Sr. | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Muhsin Muhammad | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Jake Delhomme | 4 | -6 | 0 | 2 |
| STL | ||||
| Marshall Faulk | 19 | 53 | 1 | 8 |
| Marc Bulger | 4 | 11 | 0 | 7 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAR | ||||
| Steve Smith Sr. | 6 | 163 | 1 | 69 |
| Muhsin Muhammad | 5 | 70 | 0 | 24 |
| Jermaine Wiggins | 1 | 21 | 0 | 21 |
| Brad Hoover | 2 | 16 | 0 | 11 |
| Nick Goings | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| DeShaun Foster | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| STL | ||||
| Isaac Bruce | 7 | 116 | 0 | 26 |
| Marshall Faulk | 9 | 78 | 0 | 25 |
| Dane Looker | 2 | 31 | 0 | 24 |
| Mike Furrey | 4 | 30 | 0 | 10 |
| Cam Cleeland | 1 | 28 | 0 | 28 |
| Torry Holt | 2 | 21 | 0 | 13 |
| Brandon Manumaleuna | 1 | 19 | 0 | 19 |
| Joey Goodspeed | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
Carolina Panthers defeated St. Louis Rams 29-23 at Edward Jones Dome in the NFC Divisional. The final scoring play was Panthers: Steve Smith Sr. 69 yard pass from Jake Delhomme. Top line of the day: Marc Bulger: 332 pass yards on 27-of-46, 0 TD, 3 INT. Carolina Panthers move on to the conference final.
Carolina Panthers walked out of Edward Jones Dome as the team that survived an NFC Divisional St. Louis Rams will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 29-23. A one-score game throughout. The decisive points came on the fewest possible margin, which is how these matchups usually resolve. The final scoring play came from Panthers: Steve Smith Sr. 69 yard pass from Jake Delhomme. Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Carolina Panthers move on to a conference championship.
Carolina Panthers 29, St. Louis Rams 23. Round: NFC Divisional. Attendance: 66165. Q1: 1 scoring play. Q2: 4 scoring plays. Q3: 3 scoring plays. Q4: 3 scoring plays. OT: 1 scoring play. Top performers: - Marc Bulger: 332 pass yards on 27-of-46, 0 TD, 3 INT - DeShaun Foster: 95 rush yards on 21 carries - Steve Smith Sr.: 6 catches for 163 yards
NFC Divisional, played at Edward Jones Dome. Final: Carolina Panthers 29, St. Louis Rams 23, with Carolina Panthers taking the result by 6. **First quarter**
- Rams: Jeff Wilkins 20 yard field goal
**Second quarter**
- Rams: Jeff Wilkins 26 yard field goal - Panthers: Muhsin Muhammad offensive fumble recovery in end zone ( John Kasay kick) - Rams: Jeff Wilkins 24 yard field goal - Panthers: John Kasay 45 yard field goal
**Third quarter**
- Rams: Jeff Wilkins 51 yard field goal - Panthers: John Kasay 52 yard field goal - Panthers: John Kasay 34 yard field goal
**Fourth quarter**
- Panthers: Brad Hoover 7 yard rush ( John Kasay kick) - Rams: Marshall Faulk 1 yard rush ( Dane Looker pass from Marc Bulger ) - Rams: Jeff Wilkins 33 yard field goal
**Overtime**
- Panthers: Steve Smith Sr. 69 yard pass from Jake Delhomme
**Top performers**
- Marc Bulger: 332 pass yards on 27-of-46, 0 TD, 3 INT - DeShaun Foster: 95 rush yards on 21 carries - Steve Smith Sr.: 6 catches for 163 yards