We almost witnessed a world in which the Los Angeles Rams didn’t make it past the Wild Card round tonight. After a rather nerve-wracking 34-31 win against the Carolina Panthers, Rams head coach Sean McVay did not hesitate to accept his mistakes.

“There’s a lot of things we need to clean up. We’re a team that doesn’t have those flags…that’s a reflection of me. I have to do a better job,” the head coach said about the frustrating penalties.

Across the board, it was a sloppy night by the Rams’ standards. But what really stood out were the penalties, something you almost never associate with a McVay-coached team. Los Angeles was flagged nine times, the most they’ve had in any game all season, and it cost them 83 yards. January football is the worst possible time to suddenly lose your discipline.

And what makes it worse is that they were the least flagged team after the end of the regular season. Some of those flags nearly sent them home.

Corner Cobie Durant drew a pass interference flag in the end zone on third down, setting up a touchdown run by Chuba Hubbard. Quentin Lake followed with another PI that also led directly to points. On third-and-5, Braden Fiske jumped offside, giving Carolina a free play and new life.

There was also Desjuan Johnson, flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on a Panthers kick return in the third quarter, handing Carolina 15 free yards and a short field at its own 46. Later, with under five minutes left and the Rams holding the lead, a blocked punt opened the door for Bryce Young to throw a 7-yard go-ahead touchdown to Jalen Coker.

The Rams survived it all. Barely. And it was mostly self-inflicted. This might not have been a win if it weren’t for quarterback Matthew Stafford. And Sean McVay made sure to give the quarterback his flowers.

Sean McVay’s high praise for Matthew Stafford

There seemed to be some tension between the head coach and the quarterback as they seemed to argue on a play-call. But once the dust settled, Sean McVay had nothing but praise for Matthew Stafford after his clutch performance.

“It was MVP-type of stuff, what he did. Good call, I thought he redirected a couple of protections that allowed him not to be hot…and on all those plays he ended up finding completions. And he got a bunch of different guys involved who thought he saw the field really well. That’s why we are advancing, cause of his leadership,” he said.

He really stepped up today. After the Rams jumped out to a 14-0 lead, Stafford took a shot when his throwing hand collided with D.J. Wonnum while trying to follow through on a pass. For a moment, it looked like his night might be over. Instead, he stayed in, gave McVay a thumbs-up on the sideline, and kept going.

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Stafford finished 24-of-42 for 303 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception against the Panthers. After the injury, he clearly wasn’t himself. Some throws sailed while others came up short. His lone interception came on a ball he underthrew to Davante Adams. He was obviously struggling with his hand.

But late in the game, Stafford delivered. In the fourth quarter, he went 12-of-15 for 143 yards and two touchdowns, capped by a perfectly placed, game-winning strike to Colby Parkinson. It really was MVP stuff.

But he cannot do that every week. The opponents will only get harder, and McVay has some things to figure out. It starts with the penalties.