NFC Divisional Playoffs -Seattle Seahawks vs Carolina Panthers
Sunday Jan 17, 2015 on FOX
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After a very fortunate win in Minnesota, the Seattle Seahawks will now head to Carolina to face the Panthers in a NFC Divisional Playoff game. The teams have already met one another earlier in the season, but not with everything on the line. The Carolina Panthers have yet to play in the post season after securing a first round bye, while the Seahawks are riding high after coming off of a huge victory last week.
This is the NFL, and it doesn’t matter how anyone got here, wins are all that matter. The rules are the same for everyone, it’s lose and you go home.
-You can’t mention either one of these teams without mentioning their quarterbacks.
Cam Newton is widely regarded as the League’s 2015 MVP. Carolina led the NFL in points scored, and Newton just has a way of winning games. Between all the dabbing, the going undefeated for most of the year, and giving all of his (and others) touch down balls to the kids in the stands, Cam Newton is probably the most popular player currently playing in the NFL.
Russell Wilson is no slouch either, the 3rd round draft pick has been to two straight Super Bowls and was recently rewarded with a very lucrative contract in Starbucks country. Wilson finished the 2015 season playing some of the best football in his already notable career. In the last 7 games the Seattle QB threw for 24 TDs to go with just 1 interception, and had a rating of 132.8. Russell Wilson is playing some very smart football.
-The Rear View
As I mentioned the Seahawks and the Panthers have already met once this season, and on the same field that they will play on Sunday. Yes, the playoffs are a completely different animal, but these teams will have some familiarity with each other when game planning this week.
Back in October the Panthers sealed the win with a 13 point fourth quarter, a game where neither one of the star quarterbacks threw for 300 yards. It’s quite understandable though, it’s kind of hard to put up the gaudy numbers when one defense is ranked 2nd overall (Seattle) and the other (Carolina) is ranked 6th.
Marshawn Lynch rushed for 54 yards (3.1 ypc), Jonathan Stewart ran for 78 yards (3.9 ypc), both quarterbacks ran it 7 or 8 times but once again, there was some pretty nice defense being played by both squads. Perhaps the only significant offensive stat worth mentioning would be the 2 interceptions thrown by Cam Newton, compared to Russell Wilson, who had about the same amount of success, but didn’t turn the ball over at all.
Never the less, it was the Panther defense that held Russell Wilson and mighty Seahawks to 3 points in the fourth quarter. And on offense it was Cam Newton once again leading the charge. The Panthers ended up winning the game, 27-23.
-Looking Forward
This match up has a couple undetermined factors as I type this. The biggest being Marshawn Lynch. The running back known as “Beastmode” practiced all week in preparation for the Vikings game, and for some undisclosed reason, Lynch did not play in said game. In fact, Marshawn Lynch didn’t even travel with the team. You never know what to expect from Lynch, but if he truly is in “game shape”, than the Seahawks are definitely better off with him on the field.
Statistically speaking, the Carolina Panthers were 2nd in the NFL as for rushing in 2015, and the Seattle Seahawks were 3rd. Both Newton and Wilson contributed heavily in the earning of those rankings, both QBs can not only buy time, they can steal your dreams while pulling the scrambling improv. As for the backs, all reports are stating that Jonathan Stewart will play, and I won’t bother reading too many reports on Marshawn Lynch this week. It’s just a “fool me once” type of thing for me personally, but he is practicing.
Panthers RB Fozzy Whitaker is questionable and has not practiced. The good news (maybe) for Carolina is that WR Ted Ginn is now scheduled to play after missing the last regular season game due to injury.
On the Seattle side FB Wil Tukuafu is questionable as is the Seahawks star defensive end Michael Bennett (I think Bennett plays). Good news for the Seahawks is tight end Luke Wilson has been practicing and is expected to be a go.
-My Guess
My guess is as good as yours, but I think this will be another defensive battle. These teams are close, they are both stacked with talent from end to end, and they are both quarterbacked by MVP caliber players. If you put me in a corner though, I would have to go with the Panthers.
Home field will be huge in this game, as it was the last time these teams met. But this is playoff football, things don’t always go according to plan. Turnovers may ultimately decide this game or it could just be an old fashioned case of who wants it more. Seattle has been here before, a couple times, so that can also be a determining factor. Truth is I just expect to see a very good football game, and I’d be lying if I said I knew who will win.
