Carolina Panthers vs. Seattle Seahawks: Full Report Card Grades for Seattle
The Seattle Seahawks defense allowed two touchdowns for the first time since Week 14 and allowed more than 350 yards to the Carolina Panthers offense. Still, the reigning Super Bowl champions came out of the game 31-17 winners and will advance to the NFC Championship Game for the second straight year.
Carolina kept Seattle within a touchdown through the third quarter, but 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter was enough to put them away. The game started out similar enough to the three previous meetings between these two teams.
The Seahawks were forced to punt on their first three possessions while Carolina went three-and-out on their first two possessions. Following the back-to-back three-and-outs for the Panthers, their next two drives ended with an interception and a fumble that set up the first score of the game.
Despite the yardage and points allowed, the victory was a hallmark of Seahawks football lately, highlighted by a turnover-forcing, staunch defense and big plays on offense. With the win Seattle awaits the winner of the game between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers, as they will play host again next weekend.
Final Game Stats
| Carolina Panthers | Category | Seattle Seahawks |
|---|---|---|
| 362 | Total Yards | 348 |
| 230 | Passing Yards | 248 |
| 6.1 | Yards Per Attempt | 10.3 |
| 132 | Rushing Yards | 100 |
| 4.4 | Yards Per Attempt | 3.6 |
| 3 | Turnovers | 0 |
| 5-35 | Penalties | 6-60 |
| 34:03 | Possession | 25:57 |
| 9-16 | Third-Down Conversions | 7-13 |
Quarterback
1 of 10
Russell Wilson played as strong a game as you could hope for in a matchup where the rushing attack was nearly non-existent. Wilson completed 15-of-22 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns, tacking on 22 rushing yards to help bring some life to the ground game in the second half.
Carolina simply did not have any answers for Wilson's passing prowess. The team attempted to establish the running game early, much to the detriment of the offense, but the offense started to move the ball when they handed the reins over to Wilson.
The quarterback enjoyed more time in the pocket unpressured than what he's become accustomed to and did well to find open targets and keep Seattle ahead throughout the evening. At this point it's hard to call it luck, but Wilson avoided disaster again when he fumbled a snap and managed to recover it. It's become a weekly tease to Seattle opponents.
Grade: A+
Running Back
2 of 10
Marshawn Lynch had cultivated a history of rushing for 100-plus yards in playoff games in his time with the Seattle Seahawks. He had broken the century mark in three of his last five playoff appearances with the two exceptions coming in a loss and the dismantling of the Denver Broncos in last year's Super Bowl.
Lynch started the game with 10 carries for 24 yards midway through the third quarter before he began to make his presence felt. Russell Wilson had loosened up the Carolina defense with a couple of nice scrambles and Lynch was there to take advantage.
Eventually the stud running back would take off for a 25-yard run before accidentally stepping out of bounds, but overall his performance was not up to snuff. Lynch finished the game with 14 carries for 59 yards to go along with an even more paltry three catches for six yards.
Robert Turbin wasn't much help either, as the Carolina defense came into the game ready to thwart Seattle's greatest strength. Turbin finished with 19 yards rushing on seven carries, with 13 yards coming on a late run.
It was a nightmarish day on the ground despite the team rushing for 100 yards collectively. Lynch got away with a fumble in the second half, as Russell Wilson was able to jump on the ball for his second recovery of the game.
Grade: D-
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Jermaine Kearse suffered an injury during the Seahawks' Week 16 contest against the Arizona Cardinals, and hr was inactive for the team's game the following week. The extra week of rest served him well as the wiley receiver hauled in a one-handed catch for a 63-yard touchdown to give Seattle the lead.
Kearse finished the night with just three grabs, but led receivers with 129 yards receiving. Doug Baldwin and Luke Willson both played major roles in the Week 8 meeting between these teams and managed to leave their stamp on the game again.
Baldwin was at the receiving end of a 16-yard pass from Russell Wilson for the first score of the game, following a Carolina fumble. He totalled 38 yards of receiving in the game. Luke Willson caught a 23-yard touchdown in the final minute of the Week 8 meeting, and he caught a 25-yarder to put the Seahawks up by two scores late in the fourth quarter of this one.
Wilson to Willson has proven to be a dangerous combination in the absence of Zach Miller and Tony Moeaki. Willson made four receptions for 68 yards total. Paul Richardson had one catch for 21 yards before leaving the game with a leg injury while Ricardo Lockette pulled in a pass for six yards.
Overall the group did a great job of running their routes and getting open, a task that had proven difficult in several of the prior weeks.
Grade: A+
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Russell Wilson was sacked twice in the game for a loss of 20 yards, but that was far from the story of the game for the offensive line. Instead rather than leaking like a sieve on passing plays, Wilson had plenty of time to throw the ball throughout the game.
Wilson could have gotten rid of the ball on one of the sacks, after moving around in the pocket for a considerable amount of time. What helped keep the game close was the inability of the unit to win battles on running plays.
Tha Carolina front seven proved to be too much to handle, even with Star Lotulelei out of the lineup, and it made the Seattle offense one dimensional. Max Unger's return to the lineup did nothing to help the cause in that regard, and he limped off the field late in the game. We'll wait to see about that injury situation.
The dominance from the Panthers front was to be expected despite the seemingly contradictory rankings in the category for both teams.
Grade: C
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Though Michael Bennett did not register any sacks in the game, his ability to blow past offensive linemen on running plays often goes unnoticed. Bennett totalled four tackles and a hit on Cam Newton but twice in the game he was able to blow up running plays before they could even get started, including the fumble that set up Seattle's first score. Tony McDaniel made the fumble recovery.
Cliff Avril had one of two sacks in the game for Seattle, with the two Cam Newton take downs accounting for a loss of 18 yards. The loss of Jordan Hill for the rest of the year was evident, however, as the team lacked the push from the interior of the defensive line.
Defensive linemen managed to get five hits on Newton and one sack for a loss. Newton's mobility was an area of concern that led to a more containment approach to the rush. The Panthers ran for 132 yards in the game for an average of 4.4 yards per tote, allowing their offense to be balanced for most of the game.
But holding an offense that had been rushing for nearly 200 yards per game over the last five weeks to 132 yards should be considered an accomplishment.
Grade: B
Linebacker
6 of 10
Having Bobby Wagner in the lineup for this meeting did nothing to slow Carolina's powerful rushing attack. The Seahawks middle linebacker managed to make nine tackles in the game, but that had just as much to do with Carolina's strong rushing performance.
Bruce Irvin registered two sacks on Cam Newton late in the game during Week 8's tilt and managed to take Newton down for another in the playoffs. He hit Newton on another play and had two tackles in the game. K. J. Wright had six tackles and a hit on Newton as well.
Newton's rushing ability and Carolina's utilization of read-option plays helped slow down the normally quick-to-react linebacker unit of Seattle, but he was rarely effective otherwise. Carolina was incapable of completing many underneath throws over the middle and Greg Olsen was hardly a factor again.
Grade: B+
Secondary
7 of 10
Though the Panthers had 246 yards passing in the game, the Legion of Boom played a major role in deciding this game. Richard Sherman made a first-quarter interception that ultimately was a 44-yard punt for Carolina, but the play felt like much more.
Sherman nearly picked off another pass later in the first half, but he failed to hang on to the pass. Earl Thomas had a near interception of his own in the red zone that would have allowed Seattle to go to halftime up by seven.
The two missed opportunities resulted in 10 of Carolina's 17 points, with the last seven coming in garbage time. That should go to show how much more dominant of an outcome this game could have had. Byron Maxwell was pulled from the action after suffering some shortness of breath, but the depth of the secondary came through again in the form of Tharold Simon.
The big star of the secondary was Kam Chancellor, however. The hard-hitting safety made big hits, tied for the team lead in tackles with fellow safety Earl Thomas and intercepted a pass and returned it 90 yards for Seattle's final score of the night.
Chancellor twice leapt over the Panthers line on their first-half-ending field-goal attempt, barely missing on each opportunity. He provided all the excitement you could ask for from one defensive player.
Grade: A+
Special Teams
8 of 10
Steven Hauschka nailed his only field-goal opportunity from 37 yards out, Jon Ryan landed three punts within Carolina's 20-yard line and the coverage unit didn't allow any big plays from the Panthers' return men.
Carolina failed to make any returns on their four punt opportunities and the kick returns averaged 22 yards on three attempts. The performance was similar from the Seahawks return men, as well. With a team as talented as Seattle making big plays on special teams is far from a must to be competitive but not allowing other teams to do so is what has changed from earlier in the season.
Grade: A
Coaching
9 of 10
The Seahawks faced an offense that poses many of the same issues their own offense does and came out on top. The secondary refused to be beaten deep and forced two turnovers. The front seven did not allow Cam Newton to run around and make plays with his feet and the Panthers rushing attack was not what it had been in prior weeks.
Offensively, the team was able to adjust after realizing the running game would not be there and they made the big plays necessary to maintain their lead throughout the game. It was a well-coached game on all fronts.
Seattle appeared prepared to take advantage of Carolina's secondary and the Panthers never seemed to figure out how to stop it.
Grade: A
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | A+ |
| RB | D- |
| WR/TE | A+ |
| OL | C |
| DL | B |
| LB | B+ |
| DB | A+ |
| Special Teams | A |
| Coaching | A |
| Cumulative Grade | B+ |
The Seahawks didn't play their best game of the year by any means, but they looked like a team primed to win a Super Bowl by all accounts. The score in this game remained close through three quarters, but the idea of Carolina ever winning the game never seemed like a reality.
If it ever had, the Seahawks smashed it to bits with the way the game ended. There is no other team left in the playoffs capable of stopping the run the way Carolina did in this game and, yet, the result was a 31-17 victory for Seattle.
Perhaps taking too much from the defeat of a 7-8-1 playoff team would be unwise, but the Seahawks can play even better than they did today and likely will.
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