Panthers proved they were ready for 'real playoff football' - ESPN

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers guard Robert Hunt has been in playoff games at raucous Buffalo and Kansas City but said the energy at Bank of America Stadium in Saturday's 34-31 loss to the heavily favored Los Angeles Rams could «compete with anyone.»

«This place was rocking,» Hunt said. «That was beautiful, and that was real playoff football.»

The Panthers and quarterback Bryce Young proved they could compete with anyone after taking the Rams, a 10-point favorite, to the wire despite an 8-9 regular-season record.

Hunt said playoff football «is definitely something to look forward to» in Carolina's future.

«We've got a group of guys, core group of guys, that's coming back,» he said. «We took a really, really good team, who I think could go win the Super Bowl, to the end of the game.»

Safety Nick Scott agreed.

«I don't think anybody in this locker room doubted that we deserved to be in the playoffs, regardless of what our record said,» Scott noted. «We proved that today. We proved that we're supposed to be here and that we're the team we said we are.»

The Panthers backed into the playoffs with an 8-9 record after losing their last two games of the regular season. They weren't assured the NFC South title until the Atlanta Falcons defeated the New Orleans Saints on Sunday to create a three-way tie with Atlanta, Tampa Bay and Carolina.

The Panthers won the tiebreaker and No. 4 seed in the NFC based on a 3-1 record between the three.

Young didn't play particularly well in the last two games, adding fuel to speculation that he wasn't a long-term solution for the organization that drafted him No. 1 in 2023.

But Young threw for 264 yards and a touchdown and rushed three times for 24 yards and a touchdown against the Rams to