The ranks of the unbeaten shrunk from six to five this past weekend — with arguably the least likely loser suffering its first defeat of the campaign.

Michigan, which was beating teams by an average of more than 30 points entering last week, played with fire on the road at Penn State with a two-point win on Tuesday then gave up 54 second-half points to Wisconsin on Saturday en route to a 91-88 loss.

Now just five unbeatens remain: Arizona, Iowa State, Vanderbilt, Nebraska and Miami (Ohio).

Which will be the next to lose? Which will be the last remaining unbeaten? Which teams have staying power?

Let’s take a look at how each got here and the biggest upcoming tests.

Editor’s note: This is an updated version of a story that first published on Dec. 29, 2025.

Record: 16-0
Jan. 5 AP Top 25 ranking: 1

How they got here: Behind an exceptional debut from freshman Koa Peat (30 points), Arizona opened the season with a win over reigning champion Florida in Las Vegas and has racked up more quality wins since then. The Wildcats hold victories over UConn, Alabama, UCLA, Auburn and San Diego State, with only one of those coming on their home floor in Tucson. Their defeat of UConn in Storrs was one of the most impressive wins we’ll see from any team this season. And they cruised to blowout wins over Utah, Kansas State and TCU to start Big 12 play.

Why they’re unbeaten: Coach Tommy Lloyd has a tougher, more physical team than usual that could deliver the program its first Final Four since 2001. The roster is extremely well-balanced. Peat was sensational early, but his classmate Brayden Burries has been the offensive focal point of late. Jaden Bradley looks like one of the best point guards in the country as a senior, and the center duo of Motiejus Krivas and Tobe Awaka has few peers. Arizona is incredibly dominant inside but shoots better than 37% from 3. The Wildcats are also ranked in the top five nationally in defensive efficiency.

Biggest upcoming test: Jan. 26 at BYU

Arizona’s Big 12 schedule is backloaded; the Wildcats won’t face Kansas, Texas Tech, Houston, Baylor or Iowa State until February. A Jan. 17 trip to UCF could be tricky, but Arizona should win that one, too. So we’ll circle the Wildcats’ trip to Provo for a date with potential No. 1 NBA draft pick AJ Dybantsa and coach Kevin Young’s top-10 Cougars.

Record: 16-0
Jan. 5 AP Top 25 ranking: 3

How they got here: After losing scorers Keshon Gilbert and Curtis Jones from last season’s roster, there were questions about whether coach TJ Otzelberger could keep the momentum rolling for another campaign. But it was Iowa State’s trip to Las Vegas that opened eyes. The Cyclones beat St. John’s in their Players Era Festival opener, then blew out Creighton and Syracuse. And if there were any remaining doubts, those were answered with a stunning 81-58 win over then-No. 1 Purdue — in West Lafayette. They backed that up with a victory over rival Iowa less than a week later then opened Big 12 play with a trio of double-digit wins over West Virginia, Baylor and Oklahoma State.

Why they’re unbeaten: As is typically the case with an Otzelberger-coached team, the key revolves around the defensive end. Iowa State is again one of the country’s elite defenses, forcing turnovers at a higher rate than all but two teams. Tamin Lipsey is known as a top-notch defender, but freshman Killyan Toure has provided another high-level on-ball defensive player. Joshua Jefferson has taken the next step in his development and become an All-American-caliber player, and Milan Momcilovic has been the best shooter in the country so far this season. As a team, Iowa State shoots nearly 41% from 3, ranking No. 3 nationally.

Biggest upcoming test: Jan. 13 at Kansas

Despite Kansas’ recent struggles, a trip to Allen Fieldhouse always poses problems for visiting teams — especially with Darryn Peterson back and seemingly healthy enough to play 30-plus minutes. Iowa State’s Big 12 schedule is also backloaded, with a six-game stretch in February and March including matchups against Kansas, Houston, BYU, Texas Tech and Arizona.

Record: 16-0
Jan. 5 AP Top 25 ranking: 11

How they got here: Vanderbilt’s win over Alabama last Wednesday was its biggest victory of the season, even if it has since lost some luster following the Tide’s home loss to Texas. But the Commodores have also dominated a slew of very solid opponents with a 12-point win over UCF, a 15-point win over VCU, a 25-point win over Saint Mary’s, a 19-point win over SMU, an overtime road win at Memphis and a 31-point blowout of Wake Forest in Winston-Salem. Vandy ranks in the top 10 across nearly every metric, both from a résumé and efficiency standpoint.

Why they’re unbeaten: Coach Mark Byington has an experienced, explosive unit. The Commodores are one of only six teams to rank in the top 12 in both offensive and defensive rating at KenPom, and both ends of the court are headlined by the backcourt of Tyler Tanner and Duke Miles. Tanner is arguably the most underrated point guard in the country, while Miles has rediscovered his high-level scoring ability from two seasons ago at High Point. Both are also exceptionally disruptive defensively, ranking in the top 25 nationally in steals rate. Tyler Nickel has already made 8 3-pointers in a game twice this season. And Devin McGlockton is the ultimate glue guy.

Biggest upcoming test: Saturday vs. Florida

Vandy and Florida look like the best teams in the SEC, and this weekend will be the only time the two face off. The backcourt battle will be key, given the way Tanner and Miles have been playing. Boogie Fland had his best game as a Gator over the weekend, but he and Xaivian Lee haven’t quite found consistency. The key to this matchup is likely whether Vandy can match Florida’s size up front.

Record: 16-0
Jan. 5 AP Top 25 ranking: 10

How they got here: Nebraska actually holds the nation’s longest active winning streak, dating to last season’s four-game run to win the College Basketball Crown. The Cornhuskers had some early notable wins over Oklahoma, New Mexico and Kansas State on neutral courts but really began to make waves when they ran off a 21-point win over Creighton, a 30-point win over Wisconsin and a road win at Illinois in a one-week span. They then erased remaining doubts by beating Michigan State at home before going on the road to beat Ohio State and Indiana.

Why they’re unbeaten: The Cornhuskers take care of the ball, make 3s and are experienced — it’s a recipe that works. Even back in his days at the helm of Iowa State, Fred Hoiberg typically had one of the more prolific 3-point shooting teams in the country. That has been taken to a new level this season, with Nebraska attempting more than 50% of its shots from beyond the arc. Four players are making at least one 3 per game; three are shooting 38% or better from 3. The return of all-conference forward Rienk Mast, who sat out last season because of a knee injury, has been huge. And Pryce Sandfort is enjoying a breakout season after transferring from Iowa last spring.

Biggest upcoming test: Jan. 27 at Michigan

Nebraska was able to navigate a difficult three-game stretch to open 2026, which should provide some optimism it will be able to manage its next four games before the showdown in Ann Arbor. The Cornhuskers will have trouble with Michigan’s size, but their ability to generate open shots — particularly from the perimeter — should keep the contest close.

Record: 17-0
Jan. 5 AP Top 25 ranking: Unranked (30th in votes)

How they got here: It helps that the RedHawks have the No. 364 strength of schedule (out of 365 teams) in the country, according to average opponent NET rank. Of their first 13 wins, 12 came against teams ranked in the 200s or 300s at KenPom. But winning at Wright State by seven is a legitimately solid victory — then they came out in MAC play with notable win after notable win. They won at Bowling Green, beat preseason favorite Akron at home and nabbed another victory at perennial contender Toledo. It’s also worth noting that coach Travis Steele’s team has been handling most of its opponents with relative ease, ranking in the top 45 nationally in scoring margin.

Why they’re unbeaten: Even considering the caliber of opposition, Miami has been performing on the offensive end at an extremely high level. The RedHawks have scored at least 1.13 points per possession in all but one game this season and rank No. 6 in the country in offensive rating, according to CBB Analytics. They’re averaging nearly 93 points, rank first nationally in field goal percentage and are top five in 3-point percentage. Steele has them humming at that end of the court — nine different players have already scored at least 15 points in a game this season, with six making double-digit 3s total this season.

Biggest upcoming test: Jan. 20 at Kent State

Arguably the two toughest tests of Miami’s MAC season are out of the way — at Bowling Green and vs. Akron — and the RedHawks are projected to be favored in every game the rest of the season. But road trips in league play are always challenging, and the conference is filled with potential losses. One of those is Kent State, which has lost only one home game this season. The Golden Flashes have a veteran coach in Rob Senderoff, they’re experienced and they play fast.

Former Test cricketer and ex-chief selector Mohammad Ilyas passed away in Lahore on Monday after a protracted illness. He was 79

Ilyas had been admitted to a local hospital for treatment a few days ago, where he underwent surgery. The 79-year-old was battling cancer.

During his cricketing career, Ilyas played 10 Test matches for Pakistan and also served the national team as chief selector.

His passing has triggered deep sorrow among cricket circles and fans across the country.

Details regarding the funeral prayer will be announced later.

The NFL playoffs are officially underway. The Rams narrowly edged the Panthers, and the Bears took down the NFC North-rival Packers in a wild comeback. On Sunday, the Bills held off the Jaguars, the 49ers took down the defending champion Eagles and the Patriots won a low-scoring affair over the Chargers.

What are the main lessons and takeaways from each wild-card matchup, and what’s next for these teams? We asked national NFL reporter Dan Graziano and NFL analyst Ben Solak to help size up every matchup from the opening round and look forward from all angles. For each wild-card game, Solak is answering one big remaining question and Graziano is judging the legitimacy of one potential overreaction.

Let’s jump in, making sense of potential offensive changes for the Chargers and Eagles, the Bills’ Super Bowl window, the Jaguars’ rushing attack, Caleb Williams‘ growth and Bryce Young‘s future. And check back all weekend for more snap reactions as games happen.

Jump to:
LAC-NE | SF-PHI | BUF-JAX
GB-CHI | LAR-CAR

‘The Patriots STILL haven’t beaten anybody good!’ Overreaction?

No, not an overreaction. Oh sure, they won. Which is all that matters at this point. But their performance did not scream “No. 2 seed/Super Bowl contender,” and it did little to tamp down the notion of them being an untested team that could struggle against better competition. The Chargers are now only the third team the Patriots have beaten this season that made the playoffs. One of the other two was the Panthers, who finished their season 8-10 after losing to the Rams on Saturday. And the final one was the Bills, to whom they also lost to later in the season.

The Patriots made some plays when they had to against the Chargers. They made their field goal attempts, which really matters in games that are touchdown-free until the final 10 minutes. But they were also sloppy with the ball and didn’t generate much of their usual exciting, explosive offense. The Chargers’ defense was one of the best at limiting explosive plays this season, so that might have been a part of it. But it would have been hard to watch this game and not think a team with a functional offense could have knocked out New England in the first round.

So what happens now? Did quarterback Drake Maye & Co. get their stinker out of the way early and survive it? Do they learn from this and play better next week against the Steelers or Texans? Or does this advanced level of competition do them in, the way their critics feared all season that it might?

We’ll have to wait a week for the answers. Coach Mike Vrabel has pressed every correct button in his first season as the Patriots’ coach, and MVP contender Maye has not let anything bother him. They’ll get either the Steelers and a chance to avenge a Week 3 loss in which they turned the ball over five times, or a Texans team that would be coming in on a 10-game win streak and features an even tougher defense than the Chargers.

This is the survive-and-advance time of the year, and the fact that the Patriots won ugly doesn’t disqualify them from winning it all. It just adds a little bit of strength to the arguments of those who continue to believe this team is playing over its head. — Graziano

Why haven’t the Justin Herbert-led Chargers won a playoff game?

Herbert has officially gone 0-3 in his first three postseason starts. He is only the fourth quarterback this century to go winless in his first three postseason starts, joining Andy Dalton, Matt Ryan and Matthew Stafford.

The general NFL consuming public is reasonably suspicious of Herbert among the modern quarterbacking elites, as he doesn’t have the wins that Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen have, let alone QBs such as Jalen Hurts or Brock Purdy. Though Herbert didn’t play a great game Sunday, it’s hard to construct an argument that he lost the game for the Chargers.

The Chargers clearly need new interior offensive linemen. Though the injuries at tackle submarined the whole line, all three starters on the interior were the expected ones preseason: Bradley Bozeman at center, Zion Johnson at left guard and Mekhi Becton at right guard. Bozeman and Johnson have not been starting-caliber players for years, and Becton is only an average-level starter.

On 12 of Herbert’s 18 starts in 2025, the Chargers gave up a quick pressure rate (pressures in under 2.5 seconds) greater than 15%. The league average for quick pressure rate this season was 13.8%. The Chargers have also been consistently outschemed under coordinator Greg Roman. His usage of wonky personnel and diverse running schemes is valuable, but the Chargers haven’t delivered against playoff-caliber defenses. Though the offensive line was dreadful, few if any efforts were made to change the game around the offensive line. No screens, rollouts, trick plays. When was the last time the Chargers truly outschemed their opponent?

Of course, that doesn’t explain away the four-interception game against the Texans in the 2024 postseason, nor the collapse against the Jaguars in the 2022 postseason. Taking the collective weight of those three losses and calling Herbert a postseason disappointment is a fair assessment. But of the three quarterbacks he has joined (and, not for nothing, Peyton Manning would also qualify if we included the 1999 season), he’s clearly more of a Stafford character than a Dalton one.

Postseason success will come to Herbert when he plays for a more well-rounded team. As unsatisfying as it is to say, it’s the truth. — Solak

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Patriots deck Herbert to force fumble

K’Lavon Chaisson drops Justin Herbert and forces a fumble.

‘The 49ers can make a legit Super Bowl run.’ Overreaction?

Yes, overreaction. The 49ers are an easy team to like and respect. They are TOUGH tough. They’ve been without their two best players on defense (linebacker Fred Warner and defensive end Nick Bosa) for months. They played more than a month without quarterback Brock Purdy. Tight end George Kittle was in and out of the lineup all season — and he’s now out for however long their season continues after tearing his Achilles in Philadelphia. It is a miracle that they’re one of the eight divisional-round teams, and they deserve admiration for the extent to which they’ve fashioned chicken salad out of … well, everything that has happened to them this year.

But the 49ers have to go play in Seattle, and we just saw that game last weekend. Playing the Seahawks at home with the division title and the NFC’s top seed on the line, the Niners put up a meager 173 yards of total offense in a 13-3 loss. Now, the Seahawks will be at home and coming off a bye, while the Niners will limp in after a physically brutal win over the defending Super Bowl champs.

Will it help that left tackle Trent Williams, who didn’t play in Week 18, is expected to play next week? Sure. But the 49ers still won’t have Kittle, and their run game isn’t very good without him. Running back Christian McCaffrey remains a playmaker for Purdy in the passing game, but they averaged 3.5 yards per rush attempt in Sunday’s win. That’s not out of character for the Niners, as they averaged 3.8 in the regular season (30th in the NFL). They’re limited in what they can do on offense, and the Seahawks have the kind of defense that can take advantage of that.

There was a point in the fourth quarter when I thought, “Whoever wins this game is getting smoked in the next round,” and I kind of stand by it. The 49ers are just about out of players, and the Eagles couldn’t do anything against a team that was just about out of players.

It was a fitting end for a 2025 Eagles team that was never as many believed it to be. Even as they marched down for the go-ahead score, it never felt like they would get it. A child born during the third quarter of this game could have figured out the Eagles were going to Dallas Goedert on the final play, and they did despite him being triple-covered. It was peak 2025 Eagles — no creativity, no juice. They weren’t a great team; they just won a lousy division. Meanwhile, the Seahawks won the only division in NFL history in which three teams won at least 12 games. Kudos to Kyle Shanahan, Robert Saleh and Co. for getting as far as they got with their roster crumbling around them. But it’s only getting tougher from here. — Graziano

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49ers stop Eagles on 4th down to clinch victory

Eric Kendricks makes a great play on defense to stop the Eagles from scoring and secure the 49ers’ 23-19 win vs. the Eagles.

The lingering question: Is the Eagles’ offensive breakup inevitable?

There is no worse-kept secret in the NFL than the frustration internally and externally with the Eagles’ offensive coaching this season. Coordinator Kevin Patullo, promoted to replace the outgoing Kellen Moore, has been a longtime assistant for coach Nick Sirianni. But Patullo was evidently underqualified for his role. Wide receiver A.J. Brown was visibly upset to varying degrees throughout the year. Running back Saquon Barkley was not nearly as productive as he was last season. Quarterback Jalen Hurts continued to struggle with throwing to the middle of the field.

There will almost certainly be a new offensive coordinator in Philadelphia next season — the fifth in five years. But perhaps the greatest question is if anything else will be new in the Eagles’ offense? Brown, who went over 20 minutes of game clock in the second half without a target and was seen arguing with Sirianni on the sideline, was a rumored target for many teams at the trade deadline. His contract represents a substantial dead cap ($66.9 million) if he’s traded, and he would likely have to collaborate with the Eagles’ front office and finagle the finances if he demands a trade.

Other than Brown, tight end (and key red zone option) Dallas Goedert will be a free agent. At 31, he’ll want to cash in on what probably will be his final good years, and the Eagles don’t have a ton of cap space to pay him. But they also don’t have a good TE2 waiting in the wings. Right tackle Lane Johnson, a franchise mainstay for more than a decade, missed the end of the season because of a foot injury and will turn 36 this spring. How much longer does he want to play — and how effective would he be? It feels like a bigger change than a mere coordinator switch is on the horizon for Philadelphia’s offense as the Eagles look to get back on top of the NFC. — Solak

‘This really is Josh Allen‘s best chance to win the Super Bowl.’ Overreaction?

No, not an overreaction. This has been the #narrative since the preseason. The Bills were set up with one of the easiest-looking schedules. They’ve played one game all season outside of their home time zone. Patrick Mahomes missed the playoffs. Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson missed the playoffs. Allen and the Bills, the theory went, had the road cleared for them and were in line to finally get over that postseason hump.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the coronation. This season’s Bills turned out to be … not as good as usual. The defense never really got it together and still looks very vulnerable. Jacksonville ran for over 100 yards outside the tackles in Sunday’s game, the first time a Jaguars team has done that in more than three years. Buffalo is incredibly banged-up and short-handed on both sides of the ball. It didn’t have an answer for Trevor Lawrence until the stunning tipped-ball interception that locked down Sunday’s win. The Bills will likely be a road underdog next weekend.

But what the Bills do have is guts and experience — and Allen, who plays with multiple simultaneous injuries and doesn’t have a star WR1 but somehow finds a way to do whatever it takes. Yes, even if that’s a 10-yard tush push on fourth-and-1 at the opponent’s 11-yard line with a minute left in a playoff game. The Bills have a winning culture, put in place by coach Sean McDermott and GM Brandon Beane, who both get a lot of grief for not getting over the hump. But they have built a postseason mainstay out of a team that — their critics may forget — had missed the playoffs 17 years in a row before it got there.

Jacksonville had the better team this season. Honestly, it looked very much as if it had the better team Sunday. But Allen and the Bills willed their way to a win, and they’re still going. There is still no Mahomes dragon to slay. There is no team left in the field with anywhere close to Buffalo’s postseason experience. This is the year without the dominant team. This is the NFL playoffs, where no one knows who’s supposed to win; where everyone’s favorite team is an NFC 5-seed that barely beat a sub-.500 team in the first round. There is no way we can rule out a Josh Allen Super Bowl run, even if this is far from the best team he has ever brought to the playoffs. Someone has to win this thing.

Find me a team that has been through more than the Bills. Find me a team that’s hungrier. Find me a team that’s more certain it can do what it takes to win games this time of year. Find me another team with Josh Allen. — Graziano

The lingering question: Why didn’t the Jaguars run it more?

About halfway through the third quarter, you, me and every armchair coach in America were wondering the same thing: Why weren’t the Jaguars relying on the running game? Jacksonville was gaining almost 10 yards per carry through their first seven drives, and the deficit was never greater than one score. Lawrence was not bad, but he was certainly erratic, and it felt like the Jaguars’ passing game might be one big mistake away from disaster.

Well, the Jags rolled down the field on their next two drives, scoring touchdowns on 11- and 10-play sequences that collectively took up 11 minutes of clock. The running game was sprinkled in, but it was Lawrence ripping throws with accuracy and aggression that created the scoring opportunities. During the back half of the regular season, the Jaguars had been an extremely one-dimensional offense, ranking fourth in success rate on dropbacks but 31st in success rate on designed runs. They were third in EPA per play on dropbacks but 30th in EPA per play on designed runs. It’s hard to stop dancing with the one that brought you, even when the Bills were so willing to play with light boxes and surrender ground against the run.

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Travis Etienne Jr. shakes off a tackle attempt to put Jags back up late in 4th

Trevor Lawrence finds Travis Etienne Jr., who powers through a tackle attempt to give the Jaguars a lead with a little over four minutes remaining.

Even despite his shaky accuracy and first-quarter interception, Lawrence had a 48.5% dropback success rate (Allen was 42.1%) on the day. The Jaguars certainly could have run the ball more in an effort to shorten the game and minimize the number of second-half possessions Allen got. And I’d make a strong guess that coach Liam Coen and GM James Gladstone will invest serious offseason resources into bolstering the offensive line to ensure they have the sort of running game that they can trust all season long.

At the end of the day, the Jaguars lost a brutally close game to an excellent Bills team. As with all losing teams, there were plenty of little things they could have done better. But someone has to lose the ballgames, and Jacksonville — despite its truly excellent season and legitimate Year 1 leap under Coen — drew the shorter straw Sunday. — Solak

‘Caleb Williams is going to win the MVP award next season.’ Overreaction?

No, not an overreaction. The Bears fell behind 21-3 at halftime. Williams completed less than 50% of his passes and threw two interceptions. And despite pouring it on in the second half, the Bears were down 27-24 at the two-minute warning — at home as the No. 2 seed — to their oldest and most hated rival. It was all setting up for a massive Bears playoff letdown. Until they won.

Williams hit DJ Moore for a 25-yard go-ahead touchdown pass with 1:43 left to complete a furious comeback, and for the seventh time this season, Chicago won a game it trailed in the final two minutes of regulation. Williams can put you through the full spectrum of emotion on literally any snap. But you watched him pick up a fourth-and-8 and a third-and-10 on his way to the touchdown pass that cut the lead to three and turned the Soldier Field crowd all the way up to 11, and you probably thought something along the lines of, “Yeah, there’s something magic about this kid.” You watched him get the ball back after the Packers’ missed a field goal attempt with 2:56 to go and you thought, “Yeah, I kind of think he’s got this.”

Williams can make throws other quarterbacks can’t make, and he appears to be the kind of player whose pulse chills all the way out in the moments that send the pulses of others through the roof. That’s why even when it’s not going great, you feel as if there’s a good chance it eventually will. With Williams in his second season as an NFL quarterback and Ben Johnson in his first year as an NFL head coach, Chicago went 11-6, won a division out of which the other three teams made last season’s playoffs and still has a chance to win the whole thing. The Bears have young skill position talent all over the place around Williams. They can spend their offseason beefing up the defense, too. Is there a compelling reason to believe they’ll be worse next season than they were this season? Nope.

Williams should continue improving with this group around him and Johnson coaching him. If next season’s Bears win 12 or more, and Williams wins five or six of those in the final two minutes, he can be the darling of the MVP voting body. There are a lot of “ifs” there, sure, but this isn’t far-fetched. — Graziano

The lingering question: What’s wrong — and right — with Ben Johnson’s fourth-down decision-making?

The fourth-down haters were out in full force at the end of the first half, as Johnson’s Bears went 1-for-4 there, including a failed fourth-and-5 at their 32-yard line. This was a particularly aggressive call. The NFL Next Gen Stats model favored a punt, while the ESPN model very, very narrowly favored a “go.”

Should Johnson have gone for all those early fourth downs? I’m not sure. The defense felt as if it had no stops in it, but as evidenced by the second half, it did. It’s hard to know from the outside what goes into every decision.

What we can say confidently is that the Bears were making massive, easy mistakes on fourth down. The interception targeting Luther Burden III on fourth-and-6 came because the rookie receiver was confused at the line. The second-half fourth-and-1 failure in the red zone was a result of a blown pass protection. Even the fourth-and-5, way backed up, looked like a huge Burden catch-and-run … until the ball was tipped at the line.

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Bears pull within 3 after TD to Zaccheaus

Caleb Williams throws a beautiful pass to Olamide Zaccheaus for the Bears touchdown, and the two-point conversion is good.

The story of the Bears’ win — and the Bears’ season — isn’t one of decisions; it’s one of execution. Chicago made a lot of sloppy mistakes on offense to start the season and improved later in the schedule. In this first playoff game for a young offense, the Bears made plenty of easy mistakes and improved as the game progressed. These cardiac Bears are living by the hair on their chinny chin chins, and its hard to win all of your playoff games that way. But they are doing exactly what a young team needs to do in the playoffs: settling down, fighting back and learning what it takes to win January football. — Solak

‘Bryce Young is going to get a top-10 QB contract this offseason.’ Overreaction?

Yes, overreaction. Look, massive respect to Young and the Panthers here. The Rams won, but Carolina made all of us who thought it could pull off an upset look good. Young was fearless and fun and everything teams want their quarterbacks to be in big moments. He was 21-for-40 for 264 yards and a touchdown pass, and he also ran for a touchdown. He hit Jalen Coker for the go-ahead TD with 2:39 to go, only to watch his defense inexplicably go into prevent mode with way too much time left, as the Rams marched down the field for the winning score. But Young did everything he could to try to keep his season — in which he threw for 3,011 yards, 23 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions for a division champion — alive. Yes, an 8-9 division champion, but still.

All of that said, it’s too soon for the Panthers to commit. If Young wants to sign a Sam Darnold or Baker Mayfield type of deal, go ahead and do that, Carolina. Well worth it, given the promise Young showed this season and the investment the team has already made in him. But if he wants Tua Tagovailoa money? Uh-uh.

Young is signed through 2026, and the Panthers have an option for 2027, which I feel extremely confident they will pick up because there’s no reason not to do so. They’ll basically have him for $30 million over the next two years if they do that. That’s a totally reasonable investment that would allow them to gather more data and decide whether he’s the franchise guy they believed him to be when they traded up to select him first in 2023. The fifth-year option (and the franchise tag, frankly, if they want to do that in 2028) afford the team the opportunity to make Young prove it again.

Young doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who needs the affirmation that would come with the long-term deal. I’m sure he knows a ton of things he can do better and looks forward to a chance to work on them. Heck, he’s better off waiting and having an even better year in 2026 and negotiating off that. Big hat tip to Young and the Panthers, but it’s still way early. — Graziano

The lingering question: What have the two games against the Panthers taught us about the Rams?

There are plenty of big differences between the Panthers’ regular-season upset of the Rams and their near postseason repeat. The connecting thread is how successfully the Panthers tested the Rams’ defensive backs in coverage. In the first matchup, it was with shot plays late in drives to score big touchdowns; in this game, the Panthers ripped off explosives to Tetairoa McMillan and Coker. The ball came out fast from Young, which helped neutralize the Rams’ pass rush, as Carolina wagered on its supersized receivers against the Rams’ smaller defensive backs. It generally worked.

Nickelback Quentin Lake returned to the starting lineup for the first time since Week 11, and the Panthers immediately tested him, too. Lake was targeted 10 times and allowed 7 receptions for 83 yards, as the big slot Coker in particular gave him trouble (5 catches on 5 targets for 62 yards). As the Rams advance, I’d expect more teams to test that secondary in 50-50 and contested situations, whether deep down the sideline or in the middle of the field. It isn’t a big group, and physical receivers give it challenges accordingly.

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Should Rams be concerned after tight win over Panthers?

Alex Smith, Tedy Bruschi, Rex Ryan and Randy Moss discuss the Rams’ 34-31 wild-card win over the Panthers.

Of course, the Rams have struggled with turnovers against Carolina, as well: three takeaways in the first game, then one (plus the blocked punt) in the second game. In general, the Panthers do well discouraging the play-action pass and forcing Matthew Stafford to play more patiently. And when he plays patiently, he’s forced to scramble more or take more checkdowns — not his preferred style of play. — Solak