Seahawks at Panthers: Live Game Grades and Analysis for Seattle

The Seattle Seahawks were able to hold on to victory in what turned into a defensive struggle in Carolina. Russell Wilson looked every bit the part of the superstar quarterback that he showed himself to be in his rookie year.

Final:

Seattle - 12

Carolina - 7

 Game Analysis for the Seattle Seahawks

Pass Offense: Despite facing constant pressure throughout the game, Russell Wilson showed a lot of poise and resiliency, posting 320 yards and completing 25-of-33 pass attempts. Doug Baldwin finished the game with seven catches for 91 yards and made a brilliant, drive-saving catch early in the second half. Wilson did well to perform so well with no ground game to speak of.

Run Offense: The Carolina Panthers absolutely dominated the Seahawks offensive line all day. Marshawn Lynch finished the day with only 43 yards rushing on 17 carries, most of which came in the last five minutes of the game.

Pass Defense: The Seahawks pass defense stepped things up in the second half and held Cam Newton to only 125 yards passing and one touchdown. Greg Olsen and Steve Smith combine for three catches in the half after racking up eight in the first half. 

Run Defense: DeAngelo Williams led the ground game for the Panthers with 76 yards. The Seahawks gave up 124 yards total and an average of five yards per carry. With the front seven banged up and Bruce Irvin suspended, Seattle's run defense looked solid.

Special Teams: This unit gets a boost from a botched punt return and a couple of unsportsmanlike conduct calls against the Carolina Panthers coverage team. Hauschka nailed both of his field goal attempts and overall the units performed well.

Coaching: Pete Carroll will have to see if his starting offensive line is as bad as it looked today or figure out what went wrong against the Panthers. Defensively, the unit played up to its 2012 form, but the offense will need to get out of the habit of making comeback victories if it wants to play the favorites.

First-half analysis for the Seattle Seahawks 

Pass Offense: Russell Wilson took a while to get going in this one, but finally got the offense moving in the second quarter. Doug Baldwin has emerged as the team's top target with four catches for 59 yards. The Panthers defense has done a great job in coverage and has made Seattle's offense a bit one-dimensional by putting consistent pressure on Wilson.

Run Offense: Marshawn Lynch has been held in check throughout the half with just 24 yards on nine carries. The offensive line has rarely opened up any major holes for the run-oriented offense and has not been able to push the Panthers' front four off the line of scrimmage consistently.

Pass Defense: The Seahawks have done an OK job in coverage, but have benefited from a couple of dropped passes. Cam Newton has been able to find Greg Olson fairly regularly to the tune of four receptions for 48 yards. Steve Smith also has four catches for 32 yards and a touchdown.

Run Defense: The Panthers have rushed for 66 yards, with DeAngelo Williams leading the way. The Seahawks' front seven is missing a few key players, but has done well to keep the Panthers' power run game under control.

Special Teams: Special teams have been pretty inconsequential to this point. Steven Hauschka kicked through a simple 27-yard field goal and the coverage and return units have been solid to this point. 

Coaching: Pete Carroll has to come up with something new during halftime. Seattle looks to have figured a few things out offensively late in the half, if not for a fumble by Wilson. The Seahawks offensive line needs to give him more time to throw.