Seahawks look familiar to Panthers
Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera said the Seattle Seahawks are starting to feel a little like a division opponent.
The teams will meet for the sixth time in four years and for the second consecutive season in the NFC divisional playoffs Sunday. The Seahawks have won four of the previous five matchups, including a 31-17 playoff victory last year in Seattle.
But this time it’s a little different.
The game be played in Charlotte, where the top-seeded Panthers (15-1) have won 11 straight, and the sixth-seeded Seahawks (11-6) face a Carolina club that is more confident and battled-tested.
Some of that stems from Carolina’s 27-23 victory over the twotime defending NFC champions in Week 6 when Cam Newton connected on a 26-yard touchdown pass to tight end Greg Olsen with only 32 seconds left.
The Panthers say that win helped jump-start their 14-0 start this season and gave them confidence they could beat the best.
“It was just a matter of getting over that hump,” said cornerback Josh Norman.
It led Panthers safety Roman Harper to declare last week: “We are the better team.”
In many ways, the Seahawks and Panthers are mirror images of one another, which may help explain why the last five games have come down to the wire.
Each team has a dynamic quarterback who can make plays with his arm and his feet. Each team has a strong running game led by a powerful, bruising back and a defense that excels at keeping the opponent out of the end zone.
But the most intriguing matchup may be Carolina’s No. 1 scoring offense against Seattle’s defense, which allowed the fewest points in the NFL this season.
Newton became the first QB in league history to throw 35 touchdown passes and run for 10 scores in a season. He will face a Seattle defense loaded with playmakers.
“This is the most diversified offense that we see, and the dynamics of what Cam is able to do and the way that they’re willing to run with him makes this a really difficult offense to prepare for,” said Seattle coach Pete Carroll. “You’ve seen everybody have trouble with it all year long, so we’ll see if we can keep it down and try to keep the score within reach and see if we have a chance.”
Things to watch in the Seahawks-Panthers playoff game:
• After last week’s sudden turn when star running back Marshawn Lynch ended up not making the trip to frigid Minneapolis, all indications are “Beast Mode” will play against the Panthers. If he plays Sunday, it will be his first action since Week 10 against Arizona prior to having abdominal surgery. Lynch was a full participant in practice for the second consecutive week.
Carolina did an adequate job slowing Lynch in the teams’ first meeting this season, holding him to 54 yards on 17 carries and no run longer than 17 yards. In seven games against Carolina as a member of the Seahawks, Lynch has never rushed for more than 89 yards.
• Meanwhile, Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart will return to action after missing the past three games because of a foot injury. Rivera said Stewart’s foot is not a problem, but the coach is concerned about Stewart’s conditioning.
Stewart, who averaged 18.6 carries per game in 13 games this season, said he will be just fine Sunday and will do “whatever it takes” to be effective.
• Carolina’s defense finished with 44 sacks, sixth-best in the league this season. But the Panthers haven’t gotten much production from veteran defensive ends Charles Johnson and Jared Allen, who combined for only three sacks this season.
Rivera said he is more concerned about his defensive ends containing Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson than sacking him.
“The thing we’ve got to understand is that if you’ve got to contain or you’ve got the outside rush,” Rivera said.