The Seahawks wished for a victory to redeem them coming into the NFC Divisional game after a 27-23 loss to the Carolina Panthers back in October 2015. The Panthers stopped them from doing so with a thrilling offensive performance that the Seahawks couldn’t keep up with.

On Sunday Jan. 17, the Seattle Seahawks traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina to take on the Carolina Panthers in hope of advancing onto the NFC Conference Championship for the 3rd year in a row. The Panthers disassembled the Seahawks’ hope for another Super Bowl appearance as they defeated the Seahawks 31-24.

As the Seahawks had to make do without Marshawn Lynch for nearly 2 months due to an abdominal surgery, they were ecstatic to have him suit up to aid an offense that has been relying heavily on Russell Wilson. They believed that Marshawn Lynch would activate “Beast Mode” to run up and down the field on the Panthers’ defense. Little did the Seahawks’ infamous offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell know the Panthers’ defense came to play.

Lynch’s offensive production was halted as he was only able to obtain 20 yards on six carries. The start to his long day began with a loss of a couple yards on his first carry, setting the tone for the offense in the first half, who, despite their prestige, did not score a single point until the second half.

Each team took their turns scoring, with the Panthers dominating in the first half and Seattle dominating in the second. Carolina Panther Jonathan Stewart was a key element in the successful triumph over their NFC rivals with two rushing touchdowns and 106 yards on just 19 carries, weighing in at almost 5.6 yards per carry.

The high-octane offense of the Carolina Panthers was ignited once again by impressive play from quarterback Cam Newton and tight end Greg Olsen. Heisman winner Cam Newton connected with Greg Olsen for a 19-yard touchdown pass to hold a strong lead.

Early in the game, Pro Bowl linebacker Luke Kuechly was able to intercept Russell Wilson’s pass for a 14-yard touchdown, putting the team up 14-0 in the first quarter alone. Unfortunately for the Seahawks, that would not be the only pass of Wilson’s to be intercepted as veteran cornerback Cortland Finnegan picked Wilson off just three offensive drives later.

The Seahawks fought back, having Wilson pass for three touchdown passes in the second half alone, but it was not enough to push them atop the Panthers in the high-pressure playoff game. Nearing the final buzzer of the game, the Seahawks were staring defeat in the face and tried a last ditch effort to turn the ball over and score on a couple of drives. This plan did not pan out as a Seattle onside kick was recovered by Pro Bowl linebacker Thomas Davis.

The offensive prowess was witnessed, as it was all season, with the Carolina Panthers NFL’s best 500 team points on the season. With a grand victory for the new era Panthers led by Ron Rivera, they move onto the NFC Championship game for the fourth time since their birth in 1995. 

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