If you don't paint your face and dye your hair for you team's first home play-off game in 11 years, are you even doing it right?

Image source, Getty Images

This is Bryce Young's first career play-off game and an 11th for Matthew Stafford - so quite the experience gap between the two quarterbacks.

Young did play brilliantly against the Rams in their Week 13 win though and he's become quite the expert at a fourth-quarter comeback - so watch out for late fireworks here.

Overall Stafford is 5-5 in play-off games, with four of those wins coming in LA's Super Bowl season, so he's usually suffered disappointment. And this season Stafford has been brilliant.

The NFL play-offs begin in Charlotte with the Panthers big 10-point home underdogs - just as they were when they beat the Rams 31-28 in Week 13.

Carolina's defence forced three Matthew Stafford turnovers that day as they ended LA's six-game winning streak, but can they repeat that trick tonight?

Bryce Young had the game of his life in the first meeting as he became the youngest quarterback ever to record 11 fourth-quarter comeback wins.

Stafford is the MVP favourite though after leading the league in passing yards (4,707) and TDs (46) - and he has Davante Adams returning tonight.

Carolina are 5-2 in home play-off games in their history but with 31 players on the roster without any post-season experience could this one come just too soon for them?

Matthew Stafford could tie Jalen Hurts with a win tonight, but the six quarterbacks without a play-off win shows you how wide open this Super Bowl race is this season.

With so many young guns around though - look at old man Aaron Rodgers leading the way!

Image source, Getty Images

The 12-5 Rams hit their peak mid-season with six straight wins - a run that funnily enough ended in Carolina in Week 13.

They went 3-2 to finish the season with a wild defeat to the Seahawks costing them the chance to earn the top seed in the NFC - as that went to Seattle.

Sean McVay's men had to settle for the fifth seed then which meant a wildcard visit to the Carolina Panthers, who finished 8-9 and won the NFC South by the skin of their teeth.

A three-game win streak early on was the longest run Carolina managed, with a real mix of results including a 40-9 hammering by Buffalo but also some big wins against Dallas and at Green Bay.

They lost three of their last four including what could've been a final-game decider against Tamp Bay - but Atlanta surprisingly won their last two to help send the Panthers limping into the post-season.

If the Rams hadn't lost this thriller to Seattle then LA would likely have won the top seed and would be putting their feet up this weekend.

Fine margins in the NFL....

Here's a visualisation of this year's road to the Super Bowl.

Who do you think makes the big game on 8 February? Let us know using the Have Your Say button.

Image source, BBC Sport

Steve Smith JR is one of a few Panthers legends in attendance at the Bank of America Stadium tonight for their first home play-off game since 2015.

Smith is the NFL's eighth all-time leading recevier with 14,731 yards and most of those coming with Carolina.

Image source, Getty Images

All kick-off times GMT

Tonight

Los Angeles Rams (5) @ Carolina Panthers (4) (21:30)

Green Bay Packers (7) @ Chicago Bears (2) (01:00 Sun)

Tomorrow

Buffalo Bills (6) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (3) (18:00)

San Francisco 49ers (6) @ Philadelphia Eagles (3) (21:30)

Los Angeles Chargers (7) @ New England Patriots (2) (01:00 Mon)

Monday

Houston Texans (5) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (4) (01:00 Tue)

Image source, Getty Images

Here we go! The post-season dance begins tonight with the first two wildcard match-ups in the 2025 NFL play-offs.

First up we have the Los Angeles Rams visiting the Carolina Panthers - who are underdogs but have already beaten Matthew Stafford's side this season.

Then there's the NFL's oldest rivalry with the Green Bay Packers heading to Soldier Field to face the Chicago Bears for the third meeting this season between the NFC North foes.

With the game now win or go home the matches take on an entirely new look - the stakes are higher, the tackles are harder and the pressure is greater.

Teams delve deep into the playbooks as desperation takes hold, so make sure you stay tuned tonight for all the thrills and spills of play-off football.