Even in a heartbreaking loss, there were a handful of heroes for the Carolina Panthers on Saturday.

Their 34-31 wild-card round defeat to the Los Angeles Rams was defined more by who did what, and less by what they didn’t. Quarterback Bryce Young made some big-time throws, wide receiver Jalen Coker reeled in some clutch catches and cornerback Mike Jackson shined in the secondary.

But there was one star at Bank of America Stadium that might’ve stood above the rest—the Carolina faithful.

Panthers fans brought the noise, the energy and the atmosphere from the jump. Helped by a bit of inspiration from franchise legend and the latest “Keep Pounding” drummer Cam Newton, the crowd showed out all night long in their team’s first home playoff game since 2015.

And that, of course, didn’t go unnoticed by the players who took that field.

Here’s our tribute to an absolutely legendary showing from Charlotte . . .

This is pretty unbelievable. #Panthers fans of all generations here and loud. Plenty of 1995 fans (see T-shirt). Steve Smith on the mic pregame for the 2003 crowd. Cam Newton here for 2015. pic.twitter.com/9hC7IlIeSy

— Alex Zietlow (@alexzietlow05) January 10, 2026

CAM NEWTON POUNDS THE DRUM! 🗣️

LARvsCAR on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPluspic.twitter.com/gmdtWBUITG

— NFL (@NFL) January 10, 2026

You can hear the crowd when Cam comes out from almost a mile away 🥹 pic.twitter.com/IqZevCmA5u

— Tori J. (@torijacobs) January 10, 2026

Panthers fans are LOUD 🐾🗣️

📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/NVFtVaO6Kl

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 10, 2026

Jake Delhomme, Muhsin Muhammad, Steve Smith Sr., and Wesley Walls bang the Keep Pounding drum before the fourth quarter. Let’s gooooooo! pic.twitter.com/NgUcn4SsyL

— CLTure® ( culture ) (@CLTure) January 11, 2026

Man that result hurts, but the @Panthers have a lot to be proud of after that effort.

I was walking down Morehead watching the game in the 4th Quarter on my phone, trying to get back to the @WFNZ Studios in time to host @Hornets Pregame tonight. You could hear the stadium…

— Kyle Bailey (@KyleBaileyClub) January 11, 2026

So grateful for y’all 💙 pic.twitter.com/XE2UVDp6Zh

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) January 11, 2026

Dave Canales on the home crowd, a decade removed from their last home playoff game. pic.twitter.com/GrgkBguiuv

— John Ellis (@1PantherPlace) January 11, 2026

Panthers G Robert Hunt has played in playoff games at Buffalo and KC and says BOA fans can compete with any stadium. . pic.twitter.com/tAwyS9ueju

— David Newton (@DNewtonespn) January 11, 2026

Thank you Panthers fans!! #KEEPPOUNDING

— Daren Bates (@DB_5trey) January 11, 2026

Love y’all 💙 pic.twitter.com/c4oguRcx9m

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) January 11, 2026

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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: A tribute to Panthers fans and their legendary showing at Saturday’s playoff game