ST. LOUIS (15-4) at CAROLINA (7-9)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
OPENING LINE – Rams by 2 1/2
RECORD VS. SPREAD – Rams 7-7-2; Panthers 7-9
SERIES RECORD – Panthers lead 13-8
LAST MEETING – Panthers beat Rams 13-10, Nov. 6, 2016
AP PRO32 RANKING – Rams No. 4, Panthers No. 18
RAMS OFFENSE – OVERALL (2), RUSH (3), PASS (5).
RAMS DEFENSE – OVERALL (19), RUSH (23), PASS (14).
PANTHERS OFFENSE – OVERALL (10), RUSH (4), PASS (17).
PANTHERS DEFENSE – OVERALL (15), RUSH (12), PASS (18).
STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES – Rams reached Super Bowl last season before losing to Tom Brady and Patriots 13-3. … Sean McVay owns .750 winning percentage (24-8) in two seasons as Rams coach. … Rams averaged 30.8 points per game last season, second only to Kansas City (34.8). … QB Jared Goff was fourth in yards passing (4,688) and sixth in TD passes in 2018. … RB Todd Gurley led NFL with 21 TDs last season, was limited late last season due to knee soreness. … WR Brandin Cooks going for fifth straight 1,000-yard receiving season after career-high 1,204 yards in 2018. … DT Aaron Donald has won NFL Defensive Player of Year in back-to-back seasons. … LB Clay Matthews and S Eric Weddle make Rams debut. … CB Marcus Peters’ 22 interceptions are most in NFL since 2015. … Panthers are 4-4 in season openers under coach Ron Rivera. … Rivera needs three wins to become Carolina’s all-time winningest coach. … QB Cam Newton returns from offseason shoulder surgery and mid-foot sprain in preseason. Newton needs 121 yards rushing to pass Randall Cunningham for second most by an NFL quarterback. … Christian McCaffrey set NFL record for receptions by RB last season with 107. McCaffrey also set franchise record with 1,965 yards from scrimmage. … WR D.J. Moore was first in NFL in yards after catch (7.7) in 2018. … Carolina was 27th in NFL in sacks in 2018. Added veteran DL Gerald McCoy and rookie OLB Brian Burns to bolster pass rush. … Panthers debut 3-4 defense for first time under Rivera, who’ll make defensive play calls. … LB Luke Kuechly has 948 tackles, needs 19 to pass Brian Urlacher for most by an NFL player through first eight seasons. … Ray-Ray McCloud, acquired off waivers Sunday, expected to return punts, kickoffs for Carolina. … Undrafted rookie K Joey Slye replaces Graham Gano (injured reserve/leg). … Fantasy tip: Panthers WR Curtis Samuel appears on cusp of breakout season after assuming starting role.
—
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP-NFL
25% Bonus via Western Union
