National Football League divisional round picks: Predicting each playoff game

Lynch was ruled out last week against the Minnesota Vikings in the wild card round of the playoffs, but he has been a full participant at practice both Wednesday and Thursday this week.

Seattle Seahawks vs. Carolina Panthers divisional showdown on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. ET at the Bank of America Stadium will mark the second straight season that these franchises have met in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs.

When it comes to beating the Panthers, Seattle has likely been studying game film from Carolina’s only loss of the season, a 20-13 loss in Atlanta. In the 27-23 win over Seattle, he rushed for 79 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns. Lynch practiced fully on Friday last week but at the last minute, pulled himself from the flight manifest when he simply felt that he could not go in Minnesota.

During the playoffs the last two seasons, the Seahawks have been able to find a higher gear that has allowed them to find ways to knock out the opposition.

Lynch this year hasn’t played since Week 10 and has since undergone surgery on his abdomen which has kept him out since then. The Seahawks star running back is now averaging 3.8 yards per carry, the lowest since first arriving in Seattle. In the receiving end, Devin Funches had 120 yards and one touchdown in seven catches while Corey Brown added 58 yards in three receptions.

“But he’s really pumped to play football and play with his team”.

“It tells you it can be done”, Panthers coach Ron Rivera said of his team’s confident-building win in October.

“He had a great week, he really did”, Carroll said.

The Seahawks are hoping Lynch will return as they aim to beat the Panthers, gunning for a third consecutive Super Bowl appearance this season. “Probably a little bit more tempo to it as well, so we’ll just continue to go day to day with it”, he continued. “I love watching him play”.

Carroll said he feel Lynch, 29, has rediscovered his confidence that he can play Sunday like what he was from 2011 until this his first injury-filled season of his nine-year career.

“To be honest with you I don’t think we were ready for it”, Harper said of last year’s playoff defeat. This will be a tough test for the Panthers, and it’s one I want to see.