The 2026 NFL Playoffs are underway and we got a fantastic first matchup of the Wild Card Round. The Los Angeles Rams beat the Carolina Panthers 34-31 to advance to the Divisional Round. LA jumped out to 14-0 lead but Carolina fought back and took this game down to the wire. Matthew Stafford found Colby Parkinson for a game-winning touchdown with 38 seconds left to help LA advance.
Los Angeles Rams’ next playoff opponent
The Rams will find out their opponent either Saturday night or early Sunday evening. The NFL re-seeds the playoff bracket for the Divisional Round, which means the top-seeded Seahawks face the worst remaining seed, and the two middle seeds face off. If the Bears beat the Packers on Saturday night, the Rams will face one of the Bears, Eagles, or Seahawks in the Divisional Round. That will depend on the outcome of 49ers-Eagles on Sunday. opponent until after the 49ers and Eagles play on Sunday. However, if the Packers upset the Bears, then the Rams know they’ll face the winner of 49ers-Eagles next week.
History vs. potential opponents
vs. Seattle Seahawks: 26-29 regular season, 2-0 postseason all-time — The Rams and Seahawks split their season series by a total of three points. The Rams beat the Seahawks at home 21-19 and lost in Seattle 38-37. The last time these two met in the playoffs was a 30-20 Rams win in the Wild Card Round.
vs. Chicago Bears: 38-54-3 regular season, 1-1 postseason all-time — The Rams played the Bears a year ago, losing in Chicago 24-18. They haven’t met in the playoffs since 1986 when the Bears won 24-0 in the NFC Championship en route to their lone Super Bowl victory.
vs. Philadelphia Eagles: 18-24-1 regular season, 2-2 postseason all-time — The Rams lost to the Eagles in Week 3 of this season, losing 33-26 after the Eagles scored a touchdown with 1:48 to go in the game. Earlier in 2025, they met in the Divisional Round of the 2025 NFL Playoffs, where the Eagles won 28-22 in Philadelphia.
vs. San Francisco 49ers: 71-78-3 regular season, 1-1 postseason all-time — The long-time divisional rivals split their season series, with both teams winning the road game. In spite of their long history, they’ve only met twice in the postseason, with the Rams winning the most recent in 2022 when they won 20-17 in the NFC Championship.
Los Angeles Rams playoff history
This marks the second straight season the Rams have reached the Divisional Round. Last year they advanced before losing to the Eagles. The last time they won in the Divisional Round came in 2022, when they beat the Buccaneers en route to winning the Super Bowl. This will be LA’s 21st appearance in the Divisional Round.
