A trip to the NFC Championship Game is at stake when the Seattle Seahawks travel to Bank of America Stadium to play the Carolina Panthers. The game starts at 1:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jan 17 and can be seen on FOX.
Carolina blew out the Buccaneers 38-10 in its last game. Cam Newton had a big game passing the ball in the win, completing 21 of 26 passes for 293 yards and two TDs. Devin Funchess also had a big game with 120 yards and a TD on seven receptions. Seattle snuck by the Vikings 10-9. Bobby Wagner led the Seattle defense, registering six tackles and one sack.
The Panthers, a three-point favorite, will be looking to defend their home field when Seattle visits. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is 43 points.
Heading into Week 19 of league action, the Panthers are 15-1 Straight Up (SU) and 11-5 Against The Spread (ATS). In the past five games, Carolina is 4-1 SU and 2-3 ATS. The Panthers are averaging an impressive 407 total yards per game over their last five. Turning to the Panthers defense, a few key spots could be deciding factors this week. The Seahawks will be matching up against a skilled Carolina run defense, which allowed 87.8 rushing yards over its last five matchups. One of the keys to the game will be if the Seahawks can protect the quarterback against Carolina’s aggressive pass rush. The defense ranks fifth in the league in sacks with 2.8 per game.
Moving to the road team, the Seahawks have a record of 8-7-1 ATS and 10-6 SU. In the previous five games, Seattle has a record of 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS. The Seahawks depend heavily on their run game, averaging 31.3 rushing attempts per game. Shifting to the other side of the ball, the Seattle defense could excel if they take advantage of favorable matchups. Seattle’s second-ranked pass defense has given its competition issues. Opponents have thrown for 210.2 yards per game against this intimidating bunch. The Seahawks have a habit of starting the second half strong. They average 6.9 points during the third quarter, ranking third in the NFL.
Predictions: SU Winner – Sea, ATS Winner – Sea, O/U – Over
Notes
Carolina is 15-1 SU in its last 16 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Carolina’s last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Carolina’s last 5 games at home.
Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Carolina is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Seattle.
Carolina is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Seattle.
Seattle is 9-2 SU when leading at the half this season. Carolina is 12-0 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Seattle is 3-2 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle this season, and an even 4-4 SU in games where it loses the turnover battle.
The Carolina defense has forced an average of 2.4 turnovers per game this season. Seattle is an even 2-2 SU when turning the ball over at least 2.0 times in a game.
Seattle is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its third-ranked rushing attack will face the fourth-ranked run defense of Carolina, while its first-ranked rush defense will look to contain the second-ranked run game of the Panthers.
