Kickoff: Sunday, 1:05 p.m. ET
NFC Divisional Playoffs
Line: Carolina -2.5, Total: 44.0

The Seahawks will be looking to make it to their third straight NFC Championship Game when they face the Panthers in Carolina on Sunday.

The Seahawks are fortunate to be playing in this game, as they really only defeated the Vikings in the wild card round thanks to a missed Blair Walsh chip shot. Seattle escaped with a 10-9 victory as a 4.5-point favorite, but the team will not be happy with the way that it played. The Seahawks must do better offensively against a Panthers team that went 15-1 this season. Carolina lost only one game this season SU and was dominant ATS too, going 11-5 on the year. The team did, however, play a week schedule. When these teams met in Seattle on Oct. 18, the Panthers shocked the Seahawks with a 27-23 victory as seven-point road underdogs. Seattle let that game slip away and is still 3-1 SU in this head-to-head series over the past three seasons. The Seahawks have won their last two games in Carolina and both of those contests went Under the total. One trend working in the Seahawks’ favor is that the team is 8-1 ATS after having won four of its past five games over the last two seasons. The Panthers, however, were 6-0 ATS in games where the line was +3 to -3 this season. TE Luke Willson (Concussion) and RB Marshawn Lynch (Abdominal) are questionable for Seattle and RB Jonathan Stewart (Foot) is questionable for Carolina.

The Seahawks have the league’s best defense and that is going to keep them in games. Seattle allowed just 17.3 PPG this season (1st in NFL) and they’ve allowed just 58 points over the past six games. This team is clicking on defense and will just need Russell Wilson to lead the offense on a few scoring drives in this one. Wilson had a tough time getting things going against Minnesota in the wild card round, throwing for just 142 yards with one touchdown and one pick. Wilson also wasn’t at his best the last time he faced the Panthers, going 18-for-30 with 241 yards and a touchdown in the loss. It wasn’t a poor outing for Wilson, but he did throw for 24 touchdowns and just one interception over the final seven weeks of the season and is capable of having some explosive games. He’ll need to channel that type of play on Sunday or his team may be going home early. Doug Baldwin will be the guy that Wilson is looking at in this one. He caught five passes for 42 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings and emerged as one of the league’s top receivers late in the season. He’ll need to shake free for some big plays in this game.

The Panthers were one of the best teams in football during the regular season and the team did it on both sides of the field. Carolina was dominant offensively, putting up 31.3 PPG (1st in NFL) with Cam Newton leading the way. Defensively, the Panthers were giving up just 19.3 PPG (6th in NFL). It’s good that Carolina is balanced, as the team will need to bring it on both ends against this experienced Seattle team. Cam Newton’s play will, however, determine the outcome of this game for the Panthers. When he faced the Seahawks earlier in the season, Newton threw for 269 yards, one touchdown and one interception and he also rushed for 30 yards and a touchdown. He was very good in that game, but turnovers were an issue. If he wants his team to avoid being the one that peaked in the regular season then he will need to take care of the football on Sunday. Greg Olsen is Newton’s favorite target all over the field. He had seven catches for 131 yards and a touchdown in the first meeting with Seattle. If he can come anywhere near matching that production then the team should be in good position to win the game. One big plus for the Panthers in this game is that Jonathan Stewart is set to make his return. Stewart rushed for 989 yards and six touchdowns this season and really adds another element to the Carolina offense. If he is healthy then he will really help the team in this one.