Seahawks are overwhelming
SEATTLE 40, CAROLINA 7
SEATTLE — Thomas Rawls ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, Tyler Lockett took a reverse 75 yards for a touchdown to open the second half and the Seattle Seahawks rolled past the Carolina Panthers, 40-7, on Sunday night.
Another prime-time game in Seattle was clouded with odd story lines right from the outset when Carolina quarterback Cam Newton was benched for the first play, only to watch backup Derek Anderson throw an interception.
Rawls and the run game set the tone for Seattle, gashing the second-best run defense in the NFL for 240 yards. Carolina entered the week giving up less than 80 yards per game on the ground.
Rawls finished with 106 yards in 15 carries, quiet in the second half after briefly being checked for a concussion. His eight-yard run gave Seattle an early 10-0 lead and his 45yard sprint early in the second quarter pushed it to 17-7.
Russell Wilson was 26 of 36 for 277 yards and a one-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham in the fourth quarter. The Seahawks had a season-high 534 yards and kept a three-game lead over Arizona in the NFC West with four games remaining.
Seattle safety Earl Thomas broke a bone in his lower left leg during a first-half collision with teammate Kam Chancellor while trying to intercept Newton’s pass.
On the play after Thomas’ injury, Newton hit Ted Ginn Jr. on a 55-yard touchdown pass to pull the Panthers to 10-7.
Rawls immediately answered with the 45yard touchdown run and a 17-7 lead for the Seahawks.
Newton’s benching was for a dress code violation, according to the NBC broadcast. He finished 14 of 32 for 182 yards.