The NFL playoffs get underway on Saturday afternoon with a battle between the Los Angeles Rams and Carolina Panthers in the NFC wild-card round. Carolina has home-field advantage after winning the NFC South despite finishing the regular season with an 8-9 record. Los Angeles played in the best division in football – the NFC West – and had to settle for a wild card at 12-5.
I have been cashing Same Game Parlays left and right throughout the 2025 season, including 2 of my 4 efforts during Week 16 (+650 in Packers vs Bears and +600 in 49ers vs Colts). I also hit a +675 play for Texans vs Chargers in Week 17. Let’s keep the momentum rolling with my SGP for this 4:30 pm ET kickoff on FOX. Also be sure to check out our full Rams vs Panthers predictions.
Rams -10 (-112)
Puka Nacua to score a touchdown (-105)
Bryce Young Over 189.5 passing yards (-113)
Parlay odds: +500
Part of the value in a Same Game Parlay, of course, is that all of its components can be correlated if you so choose. That is some of the plan here, as Los Angeles receiver Puka Nacua scoring a touchdown would obviously work well with a Rams win and cover. At the same time, plays that aren’t correlated drive up the overall payout of the parlay. That is the case with backing Carolina quarterback Bryce Young to throw for his fair share of yards. But even if he does, there is no reason why the visitors can’t take care of business. Let’s break down each of the 3 legs.
Rams -10 (-112)
The Panthers upset the Rams 31-28 in Week 13. However, it’s safe – very safe, in fact – to assume that the result was a fluke. It’s even safer to assume that it’s a result that won’t happen again. Los Angeles committed 3 turnovers to Carolina’s zero and still almost won the game, with the Rams averaging 7.4 yards per play to the Panthers’ 5.8. There is no reason to think that those turnovers will continue, either. After all, the Rams had the fifth-best turnover differential in the league at +11; the Panthers finished the regular season at -2 in that department. Since Week 9, Carolina’s only wins other than the one over L.A. have come by 3 points against Atlanta and Tampa Bay. During this stretch it has lost by double-digits to New Orleans, San Francisco and Seattle. Head coach Dave Canales’ club scored a grand total of 24 points in season-ending losses to the Seahawks and Bucs. Although the Rams may not be on fire at the moment, they do have some momentum and Matthew Stafford put an exclamation point on his potential MVP-winning campaign during a 37-20 rout of Arizona in Week 18. Despite how the first head-to-head matchup went, there is a Texas-sized chasm in talent between these 2 teams.
Puka Nacua to score a touchdown (-105)
Nacua has scored at least 1 touchdown in 3 straight games, including 2 in a crushing Week 16 overtime loss at Seattle. This hot streak gave him 10 TDs in total during the regular season. Carolina managed to keep him out of the endzone in the regular-season meeting between these 2 squads, but in general this is a Panthers pass defense that is nothing more than mediocre. In his young career, Nacua is already no stranger to playoff atmospheres. In a 2023 wild-card loss at Detroit, the BYU product caught 9 of 10 targets for 181 yards and a touchdown.
Bryce Young Over 189.5 passing yards (-113)
This leg of the parlay actually correlates just fine with a convincing win by Los Angeles. The game script I anticipate involves the Rams jumping out to a quick lead and the Panthers playing catchup basically the whole way. That means Young will have to throw the ball – a lot. The former Heisman Trophy winner racked up 205 yards when he beat the Rams in November, and that was despite attempting just 20 passes (completed 15). Young threw for 266 in the regular-season finale against Tampa Bay and also covered this number with 191 yards against the Bucs in Week 16.
Click here to add us to your Google preferred sources and never miss a story
