Ron Rivera to Richard Sherman: I See What You Did There

Seattle is also 11-1 SU in their last 12 games against teams with losing records. This will surely mean a much more tranquil evening for Wilson, who isn’t the best when under pressure (as shown last weekend), but can be risky in so many ways when he is given the time and space. He’s deadly in the pocket and deadly out of the pocket. Seahawks QB Russell Wilson has 2,468 passing yards, 18 TD passes and two interceptions in his past nine home games. Russell Wilson was very bad and the entire offense found no way to get anything done, averaging just four yards per play while turning it over three times. “But our coaches will coach up the guys that are available to us”. The offense scored on four straight possessions but faltered late with the game on the line. They also ended their season that year with a playoff loss at Seattle. The Panthers are aware but aren’t all-in. “That’s just what we’re counting on”. To replace them, the Panthers signed free-agent center Ryan Wendell and added tackle Dan France from the Cleveland Browns practice squad. His regular-season passer rating of 60.0 against the Seahawks is his lowest among all opponents he’s faced a few times.

Seattle’s defense is on pace to top the league in scoring defense for the fifth consecutive season. With Britt out, the Seahawks started three rookies, plus a recently converted basketball player in George Fant. Seattle DE Cliff Avril leads the NFC with 10 sacks. Ron Rivera says it’s incumbent upon Carolina to grab an early lead, in part to keep the crowd at bay and keep the Seahawks from teeing off on Newton. “Execution will be key”.

After the final minute of Carolina’s 31-24 home playoff victory against Seattle ticked away in January, an NFL Films camera caught an exchange between Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and Seattle safety Earl Thomas.

One reason why the Panthers have struggled so mightily this season is how far they’ve fallen in production from their offense. Down 23-14, Carolina went 80 yards on each of its final two possessions for touchdowns. He was in the official National Football League concussion protocol earlier this season and missed some practice. That’s led to some inconsistent performances – the Seahawks beat the Patriots but lost to the 49ers and to the Bucs last week, and are now 7-3-1 on the season.

“I’ve never used that phrase, so I’m not going to use it on this one”, he said. By the same token, Carolina is 2-5-1 SU but 5-2-1 ATS in their last eight outings where oddsmakers spotted them 6.5 or more points.

But somehow, even without a running game, Wilson has managed to guide the Seahawks to a record of 7-3-1, good enough for the number two spot in the NFC. Each team is allowed one such designation per season.

“We’ve been there”, Short said.