The Carolina Panthers will go into Seattle to take on the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks. It will be quite a test for them but these teams are incredibly similar. Both offenses rely on running the ball and their mobile quarterbacks. Both defense are good at stopping the run and can get to the quarterback. It’s going to be a physical game in which points are hard to come by. Here are the five biggest keys to the game:
Marshawn Lynch vs. Carolina’s Front Seven
Marshawn Lynch is, without a doubt, the hardest runner in the NFL. Rarely does he go down after first contact. According to PFF (subscription), Lynch had the league’s highest elusive rating with a 94.3. The next closest was a 71.6 rating. Lynch’s PFF run grade was also the highest in the league. The Panthers’ front seven has to contain Lynch if the Panthers want to win. When these two teams met in Week 8, the Panthers were able to hold Lynch to 62 yards on the ground, 25 of which were from one run. The Panthers’ front seven did a very good job but this time around they will be without when of their best defensive linemen, Star Lotulelei. The Carolina front seven certainly has their work cut out for them.
Panthers’ Wide Receivers vs. Seahawks’ Secondary
This matchup is the matchup that might end up deciding the game. The Panthers’ top playmakers as far as receivers go are rookie standout Kelvin Benjamin, Greg Olsen, and Jerricho Cotchery. The Seahawks’ secondary consists of top level playmakers such as Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, and Byron Maxwell. This secondary is likely the best unit in the entire league and the Panthers’ receivers will have a hard time getting open against them. However, Benjamin presents a matchup nightmare for just about any team. In the Week 8 matchup Benjamin had four catches for 94 yards, one of which was over top of double coverage between Sherman and Thomas. However, Benjamin needs to find the endzone this time if they want to walk away with a victory.
Red Zone Efficiency Is Essential
Red zone efficiency is what lost the Panthers the game in Week 8. The Panthers got into the Seahawks’ red zone three times and walked away with only two field goals. This has to change for the Panthers to advance. They fumbled at the Seattle 14 and threw an interception at the Seattle 34. Look for Olsen and Benjamin to both play bigger roles this week in the red zone.
Russell Wilson Needs To Be Russell Wilson More Than Ever
What makes Russell Wilson so special is his elusiveness. He’s able to escape pressure in the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield looking for the open man. He needs to be able to do that on Saturday night. Carolina’s pass rush is the best part of their defense and what makes everything else work. Making things worse for Seattle is how bad their offensive line is at pass blocking. Taking both factors into consideration, there’s a good chance Wilson be doing a lot of running this week. If he is unable to escape and either has to make throws under pressure or is getting hit a lot, the Panthers have more than a good chance to win this game.
Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams Must Be Effective
With the Seattle secondary being so dominant and the Panthers wide receivers not being a particularly good unit, the run game for Carolina is that much more important. Jonathan Stewart has been playing extremely well as of late. In the past three games he’s had a PFF rating of 5.2. DeAngelo Williams, who just came back from injury, hasn’t been particularly effective lately but the Panthers will still need him to give the Seattle defense a different look. The more effective these two backs are, the more pressure it takes off of their quarterback, Cam Newton (who has been playing extremely well after his major car accident). In their first meeting Stewart only gained 79 yards (Williams wasn’t active in Week 8) but he was averaging almost five yards per carry. If he can find that type of success again, Seattle could end up having a pretty bad day.
This game is going to be a very exciting and very physical game. What a lot of people don’t realize is how evenly matched these teams are and just how similar they are. The Seahawks won their first game in a low scoring affair and I expect this one to go the same way. With how pedestrian both offenses are and how good both defenses are, I don’t expect this one to be a high scoring game either. The Seahawks should win this one by about a touchdown.