After quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams drove downfield for a go-ahead touchdown, the Carolina Panthers had less than a minute left to rally. With the Rams up 34-31, Bryce Young tried to connect with wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. on a fourth-down play.
Horn, though, was unable to make the catch, and the Rams ran out the clock for an NFC Wild Card victory on the road at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. After seeing Horn drop that ball, the NFL world reacted with a lot of scorn.
Jimmy Horn Jr.’s Mistake Ends Panthers’ Season
Horn played his college football at the University of Colorado under head coach Deion Sanders. He was also a key receiver for former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Sports commentator Skip Bayless had a few words to say after watching Horn drop the ball. Bayless posted on X, “No! Jimmy Horn, one of Shedeur’s favorite targets at Colorado, tried to run with before securing a 4th-down pass – dropped. Game and season over.”
Sports talk show host Kay Adams of “Up & Adams” had something to say, after a fan decided to criticize Young instead.
or catch the ball https://t.co/iOPtIk0rJY
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) January 11, 2026
One user named John showed a clip of Horn dropping the ball on X and wrote, “Trusting Jimmy Horn over Coker and McMillan when you didn’t throw to him all game is wild”.
Trusting Jimmy horn over coker and McMillan when you didn’t throw to him all game is wild pic.twitter.com/HOpGXC8yO4
— John (@iam_johnw) January 11, 2026
SM Highlights, which shows NFL and NBA clips, also shared the clip of Horn dropping that fourth-down pass and wrote on X, “Jimmy Horn dropped pass. The Panthers have been eliminated, Rams move on, bad way to go out. Bryce Young got sold”.
Underdog’s account on X also got a little cute, showing an image of a young girl unable to catch a ball and wrote, “Jimmy Horn with the Panthers trying to pull off the miracle upset.”
Jimmy Horn with the Panthers trying to pull off the miracle upset pic.twitter.com/sEymZbxKc0
— Underdog (@Underdog) January 11, 2026
In the entire game, Horn was only targeted twice by Young, including on that crucial fourth-down drop. For the regular season, Horn only had 11 catches for 108 yards and no touchdowns on 15 targets. So, picking Horn over the team’s other top receivers will be a play that Panthers’ fans will run over in their minds for an entire offseason.
According to the PFSN NFL WR Impact Metrc, Horn didn’t have enough data to earn a spot in them. Who did? Jalen Coker (#28) and Tetairoa McMillan (#44), to whom Young did not throw the ball in that situation. The Rams, though, move on in the NFL playoffs to the next round.
