The Panthers erased that possibility with a 31-24 win over the Seahawks in Sunday’s NFC divisional playoff game. Newton threw for a touchdown and fellow All-Pro Luke Kuechly ran in an early interception for a score as Carolina built a 31-0 lead. “We have to find a way to complete a full game of football”.
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Sunday’s 31-24 victory over of the Seattle Seahawks played out as a preservation of a 31-point first half lead. They only gave up 88.4 yards per game on the ground, but as Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson showed, they can be susceptible against the pass. While Josh Norman has developed into one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks, injuries to Charles Tillman and Bene Benwikere has thinned the secondary.
It was one of the craziest plays I have seen live since the Auburn v. Alabama game a couple years back with the 109-yard missed field goal return for a touchdown. In their first playoff game of the season, they had to play the Seattle Seahawks, a team that has been to back-to-back Super Bowls.
Meanwhile, Carolina moves on to host second-seeded Arizona in next Sunday’s NFC Championship.
Yes, Sunday’s loss was far from the heart-breaker that was last season’s Super Bowl debacle to New England, but they all sting at the end of the day.
It made up for a fake punt that the Seattle Seahawks actually pulled off against Carolina.
“I’ll be kicking myself because we didn’t convert on the fourth down in the first half”, Carroll said, via 710 ESPN in Seattle.
“For whatever reason, we got into protect mode”.
Wilson, who was under a lot of pressure in the first half, threw two interceptions, including a pick that was ran back into the end zone. “It’s awesome”, Panthers coach Ron Rivera said, per Jones.
Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch, who had been out since Week 10 and underwent abdominal surgery November 25, didn’t make much of an impact in his return.
Carolina has won 12 straight home games, and there seems to be nothing that can stop them from making their second ever trip to the Super Bowl.
The half ended with Hauschka’s 55-yard field goal attempt falling short. While the Seahawks would have still been badly behind at the break, three points right before intermission would have given them a little more confidence going into the half, not to mention changed what points were needed down the stretch during the rally.
“We need to clean some things up, we need things in the second half that we can do better”.
The NFC Championship will feature two very different teams than the ones who met in the Wild Card round last January. He spread the ball around, with Jermaine Kearse catching 11 balls for 110 yards and two touchdowns, while Doug Baldwin hauled in eight passes and Tyler Lockett scored the other touchdown.
On third-and-6 in the fourth quarter, Olsen picked up 6 yards despite taking a big hit from safety Kam Chancellor that briefly knocked Olsen out of the game with a shoulder stinger.
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For the more important game this weekend, the Panthers are four point favorites over the Cardinals.
