BC 331 Posted January 14, 2016 (edited) #6 @ #1 1:05est, Sunday, 1/17, Bank of America Stadium Alright, saddle up. Another rodeo of the two similar run first teams with mobile gunslinging QBs. Which QB will be able to handle the heat more? This time around, we will have Bobby Wagner. Teams don't exactly run very far on Bobby Wagner. Regardless of Lynch playing or not he won't be getting many yards anyway, he never has in these Panthers Seahawk games. But that just makes it that more exciting of a game, that neither team will be able to bail themselves out other than their signal caller making the key throw late in the game. Also Cam now has to beat Deshaun Shead or Jeremy Lane instead of Cary Williams. The lasting image from the Seattle Seahawks' 27-23 loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 6 was Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor looking at one another in the end zone after Greg Olsen's 26-yard game-winning touchdown. Seahawks defenders were playing two different coverages on the play, leaving Olsen all alone. Seattle blew a 23-14 fourth-quarter lead and fell to 2-4 on the season. The two teams meet again Sunday in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs. After having reviewed the first game and looking at the numbers (courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information research), here are five questions about the matchup. 1. How will Russell Wilson and the offense handle Carolina's blitz? The Panthers' game plan the first time around was clear: send pressure. They blitzed Wilson on 42.5 percent of his dropbacks, well above their regular-season average (27.7 percent). And Carolina had a lot of success. Wilson was just 5-of-13 for 34 yards and four sacks against the Panthers' blitz. The Seahawks started the same five offensive linemen they'll go with Sunday, but it was center Patrick Lewis' first start of the season. The offense lacked rhythm and still relied on Wilson's improvisation. He held the ball an average of 2.93 seconds in the first game. As the offense got hot in the final seven games, it handled the blitz much better. Wilson had a passer rating of 137.0 against five or more rushers from Week 11 to Week 17. But pressuring him is still the most effective way to disrupt the Seahawks' offense, and it seems likely that the Panthers will dial up the blitzes once again. 2. What's the Seahawks' plan for tight end Greg Olsen? Seattle ranked 26th at covering opposing tight ends in the regular season, according to Football Outsiders. In the first game, Olsen had seven catches for 131 yards on 11 targets. The film showed that he could have had an even bigger game, but Cam Newton missed him on a couple of big-play opportunities in the first half. Olsen's catches against the Seahawks came in different forms. The Panthers ran rub routes to get him free against man coverage. He beat cornerback Cary Williams and linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis in one-on-one matchups and found holes in the Seahawks' zone coverages. Olsen has been Newton's favorite target all year (77 catches for 1,104 yards on 121 targets), and defensive coordinator Kris Richard will be spending extra time this week coming up with ways for the Seahawks to match up with him. 3. Will the Seahawks be able to run the ball? We don't know yet who will be running the ball. If Marshawn Lynch(abdomen injury) makes the trip Friday, he'll likely be the lead guy. If he can't get right, it'll be Christine Michael once again. But regardless, the offensive line will need to do a better job than it did the first time around against the Panthers. Lynch ran 17 times for 54 yards in the first game, but how he picked up those yards was telling. Lynch averaged just 0.47 yards before contact in that game, 41st out of 43 qualifying players in Week 6. Everything he got, he earned on his own. Linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis were fantastic, and defensive tackle Kawann Short gave the Seahawks all kinds of problems. Carolina ranked sixth against the run and second overalldefensively in DVOA during the regular season. Running the ball will be difficult for Seattle. 4. How will the Seahawks handle Carolina's diverse run game? What was most impressive about the Panthers in Week 6 was the way they were able to sustain drives. Carolina put together three drives of 80 yards. On a 14-play scoring drive in the first, they ran the ball 10 times. It's worth noting that Seahawks Pro Bowl linebacker Bobby Wagner was out that game, but still, the Panthers have run the ball well all season. Newton is a major factor in the run game, they use misdirection, and the variety of looks they're able to present is impressive. The Seahawks bottled up Adrian Peterson last weekend and were third in DVOA against the run. But the Panthers are a more balanced offense, and Newton makes them a unique challenge. 5. How different are the two teams now? The Panthers lost a couple of cornerbacks down the stretch, in Charles Tillmanand Bene' Benwikere. If the Seahawks can protect Wilson, there should be opportunities to make some plays in the passing game. Seattle's two touchdowns in the first meeting were scored by Lynch and wide receiver Ricardo Lockette. Lockette is out for the season, and Lynch's status is uncertain. Jimmy Graham had eight catches for 140 yards in that game, but he's out for the season. As mentioned, the Seahawks didn't have Wagner in that game, and Williams started at right cornerback. Williams has since been released, and the Seahawks have been going with both DeShawn Shead (81 percent of the snaps vs. the Vikings) and Jeremy Lane (76 percent). The Panthers tested Williams deep in the first game, and they'll likely do the same against whoever is lined up opposite Sherman on Sunday. 2012: http://espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=321007029 Seahawks 16, Panthers 12 2013: http://espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=330908029 Seahawks 12, Panthers 7 2014: http://espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=400554258 Seahawks 13, Panthers 9 14 Playoffs: http://espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=400749516 Seahawks 31, Panthers 17 2015: http://espn.go.com/nfl/game?gameId=400791663 Panthers 27, Seahawks 23 Edited January 14, 2016 by BC Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thanatos 2,847 Posted January 15, 2016 Cam already beat DeShaun Snead on the final drive to win the game. Now he may be playing better than he was in week 6, but he was playing in week 6. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theMileHighGuy 656 Posted January 15, 2016 And the Lord frowned upon thee and whispered .. "Panthers lose" It's hard for talent to beat luck. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RazorStar 4,025 Posted January 15, 2016 I am already thrilled for this game. It's gonna be physical and hopefully it won't be as dirty as the Bengals Steelers or the Steelers Broncos game. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thanatos 2,847 Posted January 16, 2016 (edited) And the Lord frowned upon thee and whispered .. "Panthers lose" It's hard for talent to beat luck. Honestly its the thing I am afraid of most. The Hawks have a ton of talent, don't get me wrong, but the Panthers, at least IMO, are the slightly better team this year. It's not by much, but our ground attack is the best in the league by a long shot and Cam is the great equalizer. But Wilson's propensity for making magic happen on broken plays and just flat out good luck seem to give the Seahawks a charmed life. I hope for a great game, with no injuries, and the team winning being the one who plays the best. If the Hawks beat us because they play better than us on Sunday, so be it. Congrats to them. If they pull some miracle shit out of their ass like they did against the Vikings, and that's the difference? I'm going to be very upset. 20 17 Edited January 16, 2016 by Thanatos19 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RazorStar 4,025 Posted January 16, 2016 If anyone can beat the Seahawks this year, it's the Panthers. Cam better hope his lucky tank can stand up to Russell Wilson's nanobubbles. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thanatos 2,847 Posted January 16, 2016 (edited) I think Arizona can beat either Carolina or Seattle. I don't think Green Bay can, tbh. I also think that the top 3 teams in the NFL all reside in the NFC- which of course doesn't necessarily mean the NFC will be raising the Lombardi. Anything can happen in one game. But if I had to rank teams at this point, the top 3 would be Carolina, Arizona, and Seattle, probably in that order. Edited January 16, 2016 by Thanatos19 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RazorStar 4,025 Posted January 16, 2016 I think Arizona is probably the most talented team of the bunch, but I feel certain they will not be hosting the lombardi trophy this year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Favre4Ever+ 4,476 Posted January 16, 2016 I think Arizona is the best all around team right now... and if somehow the Packers can take them down, I don't know why they shouldn't have a shot at Carolina or Seattle. Not saying it would be a slam dunk or even that GB would be competitive... But taking out Zona could be a huge boost either going into Carolina or hosting Seattle for the NFCCG. Too bad the Cardinals mostly own the Packers, so we don't have to worry about those scenarios. Ha. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thanatos 2,847 Posted January 16, 2016 (edited) I would certainly revise my opinion of Green Bay if they got past Arizona. I just don't see that happening. Arizona may be the most talented on paper, but over the course of the season, they had three bad losses (Seahawks blew them out, only reason that counts, and then two sub-par teams beat them, albeit one was a division rival). Carolina had one. If you swear by DVOA, Seattle is the best. Edited January 16, 2016 by Thanatos19 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Favre4Ever+ 4,476 Posted January 16, 2016 I would certainly revise my opinion of Green Bay if they got past Arizona. I just don't see that happening. Arizona may be the most talented on paper, but over the course of the season, they had three bad losses (Seahawks blew them out, only reason that counts, and then two sub-par teams beat them, albeit one was a division rival). Carolina had one. If you swear by DVOA, Seattle is the best. Ya, dunno how likely it is. But I have to hold out hope. ha. And ya, I wasn't really going off of DVOA, just what I have seen from teams. Seattle is... eh. I am more afraid of divine intervention than anything other aspect of their football team. I would also mention Carolina but that secondary is so banged up (not saying they can't win). Zona is going to employs like 6 DBs 40% of the time and just has so many weapons offensively. It's crazy. Agains, just my opinion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vin+ 3,121 Posted January 17, 2016 Panthers declared RB Fozzy Whittaker, WR Brenton Bersin, DE Ryan Delaire, FS Dean Marlowe, WR Kevin Norwood, RB Brandon Wegher, and CB Lou Young inactive for Sunday's Divisional Round game against the Seahawks. Whittaker (ankle) was ruled out earlier this week. Kony Ealy (illness), Ted Ginn (knee) and Jonathan Stewart (foot) are all active for Carolina. Seahawks declared RB Bryce Brown, DT A.J. Francis, G Mark Glowinski, LB Eric Pinkins, CB Tye Smith, G Kristjan Sokoli and FB Will Tukuafu inactive for Sunday's Divisional Round game against the Panthers. All are healthy scratches except for Tukuafu (hamstring). Michael Bennett (toe), Marshawn Lynch (abdomen) and Luke Willson (concussion) are active for Seattle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BwareDWare94 723 Posted January 17, 2016 Get back to me when the Panthers chew them up and spit them out next week. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FartWaffles 1,857 Posted January 17, 2016 Congrats on increasing your TGP prediction average (TPA) to a fresh .025! Was starting to worry you might get in the negatives there for a sec. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BwareDWare94 723 Posted January 17, 2016 Classic Ron Rivera second half mismanagement 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cherry 1,302 Posted January 17, 2016 Fuck the Hawks. You don't rush a fucking kneel. Fuck yourselves. Most piece of shit team and fan base getting kicked in again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thanatos 2,847 Posted January 17, 2016 Fuck the Hawks. You don't rush a fucking kneel. Fuck yourselves. Most piece of shit team and fan base getting kicked in again. I agree that was completely classless. Kinda reminds of after their Super Bowl loss, they went ballistic on defense. They can't lose with class. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RazorStar 4,025 Posted January 17, 2016 Fuck the Hawks. You don't rush a fucking kneel. Fuck yourselves. Most piece of shit team and fan base getting kicked in again. >_> Coming from you this statement rings a bit hollow. The Bengals aren't exactly setting a good standard. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cherry 1,302 Posted January 17, 2016 (edited) >_> Coming from you this statement rings a bit hollow. The Bengals aren't exactly setting a good standard. I won't deny that Burfict is dirty and is deserving of his suspension. I also won't deny that Pacman can be a little bitch. That said the Bengals aren't shitty enough to rush kneel downs or start fights at the end of a playoff game because they're pissed off. A good majority of that team has composure. Edited January 17, 2016 by Chernobyl426 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BwareDWare94 723 Posted January 17, 2016 Snaps get fumbled. It's rare but it happens. Rushing a kneel down isn't that big of a deal Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cherry 1,302 Posted January 17, 2016 (edited) Rushing a kneel is never okay. Just leads to bad shit. See: Super Bowl Edited January 17, 2016 by Chernobyl426 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BwareDWare94 723 Posted January 17, 2016 Oh, it's just fine so long as they're not diving into people's legs and shit. Relax. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
