Biggest takeaways from the Panthers' shocking Week 13 win over Rams

The Carolina Panthers have pulled off another significant upset over a top NFC contender, as they shocked the Los Angeles Rams en route to a 31-28 victory in Week 13.

Sunday's stunning triumph kept the team very much alive in the playoff race. They'll be entering their long-awaited bye at 7-6 and still half a game behind the NFC South-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Their win, in addition to hope, also provided some pretty big takeaways. Let's break them down . . .

Running game returns

After abandoning the run in Week 12, head coach and offensive play-caller Dave Canales leaned into his two-headed backfield this afternoon. Running backs Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard recorded 18 and 17 attempts, respectively, and combined for 141 yards on the ground.

Hubbard also came up huge in the passing game, with a 35-yard touchdown catch to get Carolina on the board in the first quarter. The fifth-year back, for the first time in a long time, looked like himself—displaying explosiveness and power.

The duo was helped by the consistency from their offensive trench, which generated movement at the line of scrimmage throughout the second half. Despite fielding the 10th different starting line in their 13th game, Carolina's offense found a groove.

The Bryce Young-Jalen Coker connection comes alive

Young came up clutch, throwing for a bulky 10.3 yards per attempt and three touchdowns. All three of those scores came on passes of at least 33 yards.

One of them found second-year wideout Jalen Coker, who led the team with 74 yards on four catches. He was reliable on all three levels of the field, most notably on the game-clinching third-down conversion before the two-minute warning.

Young and Coker seemed to have found their connection after issues throughout the regular season. This potential emergence could be key to the team's offensive success moving forward.

Big defensive plays stand out

The Rams tormented the Panthers defense for much of the game, but not for the entire time.

Carolina cooked up Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford's first interception since Week 3, as a pass in the first quarter deflected off defensive lineman Derrick Brown and into the hands of safety Nick Scott. On the very next drive, cornerback Mike Jackson made it two interceptions with a 48-yard pick-six.

Brown popped again late in the fourth quarter, cleanly defeating a block to notch a strip-sack of Stafford. The ball would be recovered by outside linebacker D.J. Wonnum, accounting for the third takeaway of the outing.

Even when they were down two of their most valuable defenders in cornerback Jaycee Horn and safety Tre'von Moehrig, the unit showed it still has some juice to keep their team in the game.

Playoff contenders

The Panthers have now defeated the NFC's top seed on two occasions this season. Before the Rams, it was the Green Bay Packers in Week 9 who ate a surprising loss from Carolina.

With some signature performances in the bag, the Panthers head into their bye at seven wins. They have a realistic chance at clinching their first playoff berth since 2017, especially as the Bucs await them in Weeks 16 and 18.

Buckle up! (But first, we rest.)

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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers vs. Rams 2025: Biggest takeaways from the Week 13 win