The Seattle Seahawks have now won six straight games after defeating the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, 27-10. This was a sloppy contest that featured a 3-3 halftime score. However, a couple of Carolina turnovers in the third quarter opened the door for the Seahawks to run away with win No. 13, and that’s exactly what they did.
While victorious, Sam Darnold didn’t fare particularly well in his revenge game. He completed 18 of 27 passes for 147 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and also lost a fumble in the first half. Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught nine passes for 72 yards, but the Seahawks really relied on the ground game. Zach Charbonnet rushed 18 times for 110 yards and two touchdowns.
As for the Panthers, their offense recorded just 139 total yards. Bryce Young completed 14 of 24 passes for a mere 54 yards and one interception, but did add a touchdown on the ground. Rookie phenom Tetairoa McMillan caught just one pass for five yards.
Let’s take a look at what went down in Charlotte on Sunday.
Carolina’s offensive woes
It’s true that Seattle entered this week ranked top seven in both total defense and scoring defense, but that doesn’t excuse what this Panthers offense looked like on Sunday. Carolina didn’t reach 100 yards of total offense until very late in the third quarter or convert a third down until the second half. In fact, Carolina converted just 1 of 11 third downs.
Young didn’t find anything that resembled a rhythm all day, and Rico Dowdle was held to under 60 yards rushing for the seventh straight game. This kind of failure doesn’t fall on the shoulders of one player or coach. It’s Dave Canales’ job to put his playmakers in position to succeed, and it’s Young’s job to run the offense and take care of the ball. Both failed on Sunday.
Zach Charbonnet’s big day
DeMarcus Lawrence was impressive with six tackles, one sack and a fumble recovery. If he was not the game’s MVP, that honor would go to Charbonnet. He rushed 18 times for a season-high 110 yards and two touchdowns and became the first Seahawks player to rush for 10 touchdowns in a season since Marshawn Lynch in 2014.
Turning point
It looked like momentum was swinging in Carolina’s favor when Darnold threw an interception on Seattle’s first possession of the second half. However, Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard fumbled the ball away on the very next play!Â
This set up the first touchdown of the game — a Charbonnet score.Â
On Carolina’s next possession, Young underthrew a pass to McMillan, and it was picked off by Julian Love.
That led to an A.J. Barner touchdown to extend Seattle’s lead to 14 points.Â
What’s next and playoff implications
Who will represent the NFC South in the playoffs is not as simple as you think. The winner of Panthers at Buccaneers next week will make the playoffs — unless the Falcons beat the Rams on Monday night and the Saints next week. If the Falcons win out and the Bucs beat the Panthers, the three-way 8-9 tie would give the division to the Panthers.
The Seahawks can clinch the NFC West and the No. 1 seed in the conference if the Rams and 49ers lose this week, or Seattle can just beat the 49ers in Week 18.