They will now play hosts to the second-seeded Arizona Cardinals, who defeated the Green Bay Packers 26-20 in OT on Saturday.
Advertisement
Carolina welcomes Arizona to Charlotte next Sunday with a trip to Super Bowl 50 on the line.
The Panthers, winners of 12 straight at home, made all the right plays in building a 31-0 lead, then were dominated by the two-time defending NFC champs in the second half.
“We’ll look at things he doesn’t like that make him uncomfortable, and we’ll see things that make him comfortable”, Ealy said.
The Seahawks’ hero of last year’s NFC Championship Game, for recovering an onside kick, has since been released and claimed by Baltimore.
It’s hard to believe that we actually get more playoff football in our lives after such an incredible gridiron weekend, but, sometimes the world is a wonderful place and there are more games.
The best part about this Carolina team is that Newton doesn’t have to win games by himself, despite having a major lack of household names on offense.
When I asked Carroll for a gut feeling on whether Lynch, who turns 30 in April and has non-guaranteed salaries for the 2016 and ’17 seasons left on his contract, will be in Seattle’s backfield next season, the coach said “I don’t know”. “That’s what this game (against Seahawks) is going to teach us”.
“We made a mess of it in the first half”, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said.
Either way, when Newton took the final knee, the scoreboard said it all: Panthers 31, Seahawks 24.
Defensively, the Panthers swarmed and Luke Kuechly put the team up two touchdowns with his 14-yard interception return for a touchdown.
At 31-24, linebacker Thomas Davis hauled in Hauschka’s onside kick – and Charlotte could breathe again.
Wilson said the 2015 season was his “most fun year” and likened the 2015 season to his rookie year in 2012, when the Seahawks went 11-5 but lost to the Falcons in the divisional round.
The Panthers are now 2-0 in close games against Seattle this season after managing an abysmal 0-4 record the past three seasons.
On the final play of regulation Rodgers completed one of the more insane, yet incredible catches in National Football League history to Jeff Janis in the end zone for a game-tying touchdown. “We just didn’t communicate well (at times)”.
Stewart’s return after a three- game layoff was far more distinguished than Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch’s comeback from a two-month absence (abdominal surgery).
Slow starts a recurring issue for Seahawks: It was telling of Seattle’s character to watch the Seahawks fight back in the second half against Carolina, but they ran out of time to overcome a 31-point deficit. With a big lead, Carolina didn’t need Newton as much in the second half, so that limited his need to throw the ball.
“It’s great for us and our morale to have our Pro Bowl running back out there”, Carolina fullback Mike Tolbert said.
Arizona won in its only other NFC championship game appearance in 2008 before losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-23 in the Super Bowl.
Advertisement
Stewart narrowly missed his first 1,000 rushing yards season since 2009 with 242 carries for 989 rushing yards and six touchdowns during the regular season.
