Kickoff: Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET
Line: Seattle -5, Total: 45

Two teams desperate for a victory will collide on Sunday as the Seahawks head east to take on the Panthers.

Here is the BetDSI Sportsbook betting preview for this matchup:

Seattle is mired in a two-game losing skid, leaving St. Louis with a disastrous 28-26 loss last week. Carolina was even worse last week, getting blown out 38-17 in Green Bay to fall to 1-3-1 SU in the past five contests. These teams are meeting for the third straight season with the Seahawks winning and covering in both of the previous defensive battles in Charlotte, prevailing by scores of 16-12 and 12-7. Panthers QB Cam Newton had a lot of difficulty throwing against the Packers last game, completing only 54.8% of his passes with just one touchdown and an interception. He could have a lot more trouble going up against the Seahawks. Seattle happens to be 15-3 ATS after gaining six or more yards per play in its previous game over the past three seasons, but Carolina is 6-0 ATS in home games after the first month of the season over the past two years. QB Russell Wilson is 2-0 (SU and ATS) versus the Panthers in his career. The potential absences of Seahawks CB Byron Maxwell (calf) and S Kam Chancellor (ankle) would certainly help Newton if they don’t end up playing on Sunday, but Carolina has a larger volume of injuries with RB DeAngelo Williams (ankle) out, and LB Chase Blackburn (knee), LB Jason Williams (hip), G Trai Turner (knee), RB Fozzy Whittaker (thigh) and CB Bene Benwikere (ankle) among those listed as questionable.

Which team will pick up the much-needed win on Sunday? For the answer, connect to NFL Best Bets for all the StatFox Experts picks throughout the 2014 regular season and playoffs. The experts have remained hot over the past five weeks, combining for a 58% ATS mark (45-33). StatFox Scott is 70% ATS (14-6) in Best Bets during this timeframe, and 61% ATS (17-11) on the season. StatFox Dave is 64% ATS (14-8) in Best Bets during these five weeks to improve to 56% ATS (18-14) on the season, while StatFox Brian has gone 59% ATS (10-7) in NFL Best Bets since Week 3, and continues to roll in NFL Totals with a stellar 71% record (15-6) for the season.

The Seahawks have slipped as of late, losing two straight games SU and ATS. QB Russell Wilson (1,291 pass yards, 10 TD, 2 INT) played one of the better games of his career in last week’s loss to the Rams, throwing for 313 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Wilson also rushed seven times for 106 yards and a touchdown in the game, making him the first quarterback in NFL history to rush for 100+ yards and throw for 300+ in the same game. Wilson now gets to face a secondary that allowed Packers QB Aaron Rodgers to throw for 255 yards and three touchdowns without even breaking a sweat. This same Carolina defense is also allowing 137.6 rushing yards per game (26th in NFL), so this could be a big afternoon for RB Marshawn Lynch (420 rush yards, 3 TD). Lynch rushed just 18 times for 53 yards in the loss to the Rams, so the Seahawks could make more of an effort to pound the rock in this one. In the first game the Seahawks played since trading WR Percy Harvin, WR Doug Baldwin (23 rec, 310 yards, 1 TD) caught seven passes for 123 yards and a touchdown against the Rams. Baldwin should be in for a huge game against this porous defense. Seattle’s defense, meanwhile, allows only 238.5 passing yards per game (15th in NFL) and 85.5 rushing yards per game (6th in NFL). They have, however, allowed 29.0 PPG over their past two contests.

The Panthers didn’t stand a chance in Green Bay as they were getting dominated from the opening kickoff. Their defense was unable to get any big stops, allowing four touchdowns to the Packers in the first half alone. They’ll need to turn around quickly and prepare for the dual-threat attack of QB Russell Wilson. This defense has struggled against both the pass and rush on the year, and now faces a quarterback who can shred them doing both. QB Cam Newton (1,472 pass yards, 8 TD, 3 INT) is also a great dual-threat quarterback, but he has been miserable against the Seahawks in his career, throwing for an average of 133.0 yards per game with just one touchdown total in two losses. When he does throw on Sunday, he’ll be looking for his dangerous duo of TE Greg Olsen (41 rec, 493 yards, 5 TD) and WR Kelvin Benjamin (34 rec, 477 yards, 5 TD). Olsen caught all eight of his targets for 105 yards in the loss to the Packers. He’s been getting open frequently this season and has emerged as one of the top tight ends in the entire NFL. Benjamin had missed a lot of practice during the week and still caught three passes for 61 yards and a touchdown. He should be feeling much better heading into this meeting with the Seahawks. Carolina’s running back situation has been an issue on the season, so they are eagerly awaiting the return of DeAngelo Williams (ankle), which is not going to happen until next week at the earliest.