The Carolina Panthers created havoc for the Los Angeles Rams and received a boost from the sloppy weather as they defeated the best team in the NFC, 31-28.

Carolina notched its seventh win of the year. It’s the first time they have won at least seven games since the 2022 season when Matt Rhule, and eventually Steve Wilks, were at the helm. The Panthers also snapped the Rams’ six-game winning streak.

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Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford entered the game as the NFL MVP favorite. It seemed like he was going to have a big game as he led the team down for a touchdown on the opening drive. At the time, it was his 28th touchdown pass without an interception, which broke an NFL record.

The good vibes didn’t last long as Stafford threw an interception on his next drive and later had a pick six to Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson. The Panthers’ defense then forced Stafford to fumble the ball on the Rams’ final drive, which sunk any hopes of them coming back to force overtime or win the game.

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young was 15-of-20 with 206 passing yards and three touchdown passes. He found rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan for a 43-yard go-ahead touchdown with 6:34 left in the game. It was McMillan’s only catch of the game.

Carolina Panthers safety Nick Scott celebrates after intercepting a pass against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jacob Kupferman/AP Photo)

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Carolina’s Jalen Coker had four catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. Running back Chuba Hubbard had two catches for 41 yards and a touchdown. He also added 83 yards on the ground on 17 carries.

Stafford finished 18-of-28 with 243 passing yards and two touchdown passes. Both touchdowns were to Davante Adams, who finished with four catches for 58 yards.

The Panthers’ (7-6) win kept them in contention for the NFC South lead. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a higher winning percentage after their win over the Arizona Cardinals, moving to 7-5.

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The Rams’ grip on the conference was loosened. The loss meant the Chicago Bears have the best record in the NFC. Chicago defeated the Philadelphia Eagles on Black Friday.

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That’s a wrap on the regular season. All 31 automatic bids have been decided. Next up is the Selection Show on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN where the other 33 at-large teams along with the seeding will be revealed.

Volleyball seeds the top-eight teams in each region and the top four serve as first- and second-round hosts. The rest of the bracket is filled out to balance it competitively and geographically. The highest remaining seeds also host the regionals, and the 2025 Final Four is in Kansas City, Missouri, on Dec. 18 with the finals on Dec. 21.

Bracket watch

Pittsburgh’s win over Louisville, although much closer than the sweep would indicate, was still convincing enough to push the Panthers onto the top line as the final No. 1 seed. The other three top seeds — Nebraska, Kentucky and Texas — should be easy for the committee. The big discussion and decision-making will likely center around which teams slot as No. 2 seeds and which ones falls on the No. 3 line. That group includes teams such as Arizona State, Stanford, Louisville, Creighton, SMU, Wisconsin and Texas A&M with résumés that are so close; differentiating them won’t be easy.

The final spots for the right to host the first and second rounds will also take some time. Miami and USC seem to have played their way into the top 16 with good finishes to the regular season. Indiana slipped a bit down the stretch. The Hoosiers might just hold onto a spot in the top 16.

Top seedings

No. 1 seeds: Nebraska, Kentucky, Texas, Pittsburgh

No. 2 seeds: Arizona State, Texas A&M, Creighton, SMU

No. 3 seeds: Stanford, Wisconsin, Louisville, Purdue

No. 4 seeds: Miami, Minnesota, USC, Indiana

No. 5 seeds: Kansas, BYU, Baylor, Tennessee

No. 6 seeds: TCU, Kansas State, Colorado, Iowa State

No. 7 seeds: Penn State, UTEP, Western Kentucky, Northern Iowa

No. 8 seeds: Marquette, North Carolina, Florida, San Diego

Rest of the field (alphabetical): American, Arizona, Arkansas State, Campbell, UCLA, Cal Poly, Central Arkansas, Coppin State, Eastern Illinois, Fairfield, Florida A&M, Georgia Tech, High Point, Long Island, Loyola-Chicago, Maryland-Baltimore County, Northern Colorado, Princeton, Rice, St. Thomas, South Dakota State, South Florida, Stephen F. Austin, Toledo, Tulsa, Utah State, Utah Valley, Villanova, Western Kentucky, Wofford, Wright State, Xavier

(The rest of the field teams wouldn’t be seeded)

Bubble watch

The biggest change on the bubble in the season’s final weekend was Arizona playing itself into the field with two wins. The Wildcats beat Cincinnati in four sets Saturday in a match that became a de facto play-in game. The Bearcats’ two losses over the past three days were backbreaking. Oregon picked up a pair of wins, but beating Rutgers and Maryland weren’t enough to elevate the Ducks, who lack a significant nonconference victory and didn’t play the nonconference schedule of South Florida.

Last Four In: Georgia Tech, Villanova, Arizona, South Florida

First Four Out: Oregon, Cincinnati, Dayton, Missouri

Next Four Out: Auburn, Florida State, Pepperdine, James Madison

Conference breakdown

Big 12: 8
Big Ten: 8
ACC: 7
SEC: 5
Big East: 4
American: 3
CUSA: 2
Summit: 2