Quarterback Bryce Young said after Saturday's achingly close playoff loss that the team's play has him "super excited" for 2026. Photos: David Jensen/Getty Images and Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
The Carolina Panthers exited the playoffs after losing to the Los Angeles Rams 34-31 at home Saturday.
Zoom in: It was a heartbreaker for the sellout crowd in Charlotte, with the Panthers twice holding a late-game lead over the Rams, who pundits count among the Super Bowl favorites.
The Rams took the lead for good Saturday with just 0:38 remaining in the 4th quarter.
What they're saying: Head coach Dave Canales said after the loss that he was "sick that we couldn't get it done for our group tonight," but still proud, given the improbability of the 8-9 team making the postseason at all.
Canales said he was happy to bring Panthers fans football “that they can connect with and it brings the community together. I'm really proud of all those things."
Defensive captain Derrick Brown backed him up. "This is the standard now," Brown said. "We want to play playoff football here. We want the Bank to be sold out every weekend, and you know we got to give them a show if that's what we want."
Flashback: It was the first home playoff game for the Panthers since the 2015 season, when they went to the Super Bowl with Cam Newton as quarterback.
