The Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams face off on Sunday, Oct. 16. The game will be live streamed on fuboTV (free trial) and DirecTV Stream (free trial).

Not many NFL offenses have struggled more than the Los Angeles Rams’ unit this season.

The Carolina Panthers’ offense is one of them.

The Panthers’ struggles aren’t exactly surprising, since their top three quarterbacks are either injured or ineffective. Carolina (1-4) took drastic steps to fix its larger problems Monday by firing coach Matt Rhule, and Steve Wilks will make his interim head coaching debut Sunday when the Panthers visit the defending Super Bowl champions (2-3) at SoFi Stadium.

Wilks’ quarterback is all but certain to be P.J. Walker, the seldom-used veteran backup who’s the last man standing behind Baker Mayfield and Southern California natives Sam Darnold and Matt Corral.

The Rams haven’t been able to do practically anything consistently on offense, with a barely functional running game and an NFL-high 21 sacks allowed. Although offensive line injuries are the primary culprit, mistakes and missed assignments have infected the entire group to a degree that coach Sean McVay has rarely seen in his six seasons.

A struggling opponent in turmoil would seem to be an ideal foe for the Rams, whose back-to-back losses to San Francisco and Dallas have put them below .500 for only the second time in McVay’s career. But a coach’s firing frequently generates energy in professional team sports, and Carolina is equipped to cause problems for the Rams’ dismal offensive line with stalwarts Brian Burns and Derrick Brown up front.

When is Panthers-Rams?

The Rams play the Panthers at 3:05 p.m. (4:05 p.m. ET) Sunday, Oct 16.

Live stream options

FuboTV

The game will be live streamed on fuboTV, which offers a free trial. The most basic of plans is the “fubo standard” package, which comprises 121-plus channels for $69.99 per month. Like all cord-cutting alternatives, there are plenty of options, especially for sports. It comes with more than 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR, and up to 10 screens at once.

DirecTV Stream

DirecTV Stream offers a free trial.

There are four options of DirecTV Stream:

The Entertainment Package, which consists of 65+ channels, is $54.99 until the promotion runs out April 30. It’s the basic package for can’t-miss entertainment – including ESPN, TNT, Nickelodeon and HGTV.

The Choice Package has more than 90 channels and is $74.99 during the promotion. The channels in ENTERTAINMENT, plus MLB Network, NBA TV, college sports networks, and more. Enjoy Regional Sports Networks with no additional fees.

The Ultimate Package has more than 130 channels and is $89.99 during the promotion. Everything in CHOICE, plus Oxygen, Golf Channel, NHL Network, Universal Kids and more.

The Premier Package has more than 140 channels and is $134.99 during the promotion. Everything in ULTIMATE, plus HBO Max, SHOWTIME, STARZ, Cinemax and more.

DirecTV Stream offers a free trial that doesn’t require much effort.

To sign up, enter a phone number, email address and credit card, and you’ll receive five days of the service without charge.

In addition, enhance your experience with the DirecTV Stream device. While it doesn’t include a free trial, it give you access to thousands of apps like Netflix and more on Google Play. You can search using the voice remote with Google Assistant, and you can enjoy a traditional live TV channel guide. It is sold separately.

Will it be televised?

The Panthers and Rams will be televised on Fox.

Preview

GETTING AGGRESSIVE: Wilks said the plan is for the Panthers to be more aggressive on offense and not allow opposing defenses to dictate what they do.

That might mean more downfield passes — something the Panthers haven’t done much of this season.

“We aren’t going to sit back and react to the defense,” Wilks said. “We want to put pressure on them and have them react to us and mix things in, whether it’s inside or outside on the perimeter, and then try to go over the top.”

KUPP VS HORN? NFL receptions leader Cooper Kupp has been the best part of the Rams’ offense, racking up 49 catches for 527 yards and four TDs. Jaycee Horn has been one of the NFL’s top cornerbacks in coverage this season, but he missed practice time this week with a rib injury after being unable to finish last week’s game.

MOORE OR LESS: The Panthers signed receiver D.J. Moore to a three-year, $61.8 million extension this year, but his production has suddenly dropped off.

Moore, who is coming off three straight seasons with at least 1,150 yards receiving, has 17 catches for 197 yards and one touchdown through five games with Mayfield at the helm. Mayfield and Moore appeared to have great chemistry in training camp, but it hasn’t translated to games, in part because of Mayfield’s accuracy issues.

Wilks is hoping to get Moore more involved in the offense, whether Mayfield or Walker is playing.

CORBETT’S VOID: The Rams will see a familiar face on the Panthers’ offensive line: right guard Austin Corbett, who built a career in Los Angeles and won a Super Bowl ring before leaving last spring for a three-year, $26.25 million deal in free agency. The Rams promoted from within to replace him, but the first two contenders — Coleman Shelton and Tremayne Anchrum — are both hurt. Alaric Jackson is the current starter, but the longtime tackle doesn’t appear to be adapting swiftly to guard.

ROAD TRIP! Thompson said this may be a good week for the Panthers to get away from home and play a road game, given the firing of Rhule and the team being roundly booed in recent weeks at home.

“We’re playing against the world champions,” Thompson said. “They just came off a loss at home like we did, and we’re going to trying to give them another one.”

The Panthers are 1-3 at home.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.