The Carolina Panthers defeated the Seattle Seahawks to advance to the NFC Championship, which the team will host next weekend against the Arizona Cardinals.
After a blazing 31-0 first half where everything went right for the Panthers, the Seahawks created a flurry of offense to cut the lead to 7, but the Thomas Davis’s onside kick recovery sealed the 31-24 victory.
Carolina was reluctant to test the vaunted secondary of Seattle as Cam Newton (161) accounted for less than half of the passing yards of Russell Wilson (366). Carolina was able to beat the Seahawks with the run as Jonathan Stewart’s welcome return was a huge boost for the offense with 109 rushing yards and 2 TDs.
The Panthers defense in the first half was phenomenal. Luke Kuechly recorded a pick-six on the Seahawks opening drive to put the Panthers up 14 early in the first quarter. Cortland Finnegan picked off another pass from Russell Wilson to give the Panthers great field position.
The Panthers’ offensive line played great as they only allowed one sack to a vicious pass-rushing package, compared to the five sacks that Carolina recorded.
The Panthers should feel great about the win, but blowing a big lead has become a trend in Carolina that their coaches must correct from watching the film. The Panthers seemingly did not attack Seattle in the second half and tried to run out the clock. The problem was they couldn’t move the chains and gave Seattle a chance at a comeback.
The Cardinals have a similar style defense with a great secondary sans arguably their best defender in Tyrann Mathieu. The Panthers must continue to play smashmouth football and control the clock to keep the ball out of the hands of Carson Palmer and his high-octane offense.
The Panthers head back to the NFC Championship for the first time since 2005 and have a good chance to head to Super Bowl L. Their winning formula is simple: run the ball strong and force turnovers. It has worked all year.
As a lifelong fan, this is the year we have all been waiting for ever since losing to the Patriots in 2003. The Cardinals are a good team, but they are beatable. The Panthers need to continue to play their style and use the home field as an advantage. Let’s ride this journey into February. As always, keep pounding.
