The Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers are playing live on the NFC playoffs schedule in the divisional round on Saturday night and the matchup on FOX is from CenturyLink Field at 8:15 pm ET as Russell Wilson and Cam Newton go head to head and this is the first chance for the Hawks to defend their Super Bowl title this postseason.
The Seahawks are the top seed in the NFC this year and they host the Panthers after Carolina won at home against the Cardinals. These two teams have played close games before and the Panthers come in after finishing the season with a losing record, while the Seahawks were 12-4 on the season. The Seahawks come in with one of the best defenses in the league and they are ranked first in the NFL in rushing yards per game with 172 on average.
The team is ranked first in passing yards allowed per game and third in rushing yards allowed per game and they went 5-1 against the division this season. The team went 10-2 against the NFC and their conference record was why they ended up in the first seed in the conference. The team is very tough to beat at home and they now have Newton and the Panthers coming in after winning the NFC South with a sub-.500 record this season.
The Seahawks caught fire down the second half of the season with six straight wins and they finished winning nine of their final 10 games. After losing back to back close matchups against the Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Rams, the team only lost to the Kansas City Chiefs over the final nine weeks of the season. The Seahawks are playing as well as anyone in the league and they look like they will have the chance to defend their Super Bowl title.
The Panthers have played the Seahawks tight before and this could end up being another close game, as Carolina looked very good against the Cardinals last week. The Panthers went 4-2 against the NFC south and made it into the playoffs with just seven wins and they come in with a strong defense and running game. The game could be a defensive struggle, as both teams like to rush the ball and have solid defensive units. Russell Wilson and Newton are playing at a high level and they could give the defense fits with the way they handle the offense. The Panthers have a strong defense and they will have to find a way to stop Marshawn Lynch, who has once again been one of the best running backs in the NFL.
Check here for the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers live coverage.
