The Seattle Seahawks never make it easy on themselves or their fans, do they? For the 10th time in their 11 wins, the Seahawks snaked away with yet another one-score victory. Seattle led 30-10 in the fourth quarter but walked away with a narrow 30-24 win.
Seattle entered Carolina banged up on defense and left worse off with injuries to Quandre Diggs, Delano Hill, and Bobby Wagner. However, on the bright side, Sunday’s win was historic for the Seahawks.
Head coach Pete Carroll earned his 100th victory with the Seahawks, as the team improved to 11 wins for the first time since 2014 and set a franchise record with seven wins on the road.
Here are the four studs and two duds in yet another of Seattle’s nail-biting victories.
No. 1 Stud – Chris Carson
Chris Carson had one of the best games of his season against the Panthers. The third-year pro completely bulldozed his way over any Carolina defender attempting to tackle him.
Carson finished the day with 24 carries for 133 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He logged the first score and last of the day, which created a lead the Panthers were ultimately unable to overcome.
Although fumbles have been a major issue for Carson this year, he managed to hold on to the ball on Sunday and continued his 1,000+ yardage season. Despite the loss of Rashaad Penny to an ACL injury, the Seahawks ground game is still difficult to stop even with just Carson.
No. 1 Dud – C.J. Prosise
Oh, C.J. Prosise. A once-promising prospect has become quite a bust for the Seahawks. Prosise has consistently struggled to find himself on the field due to injuries, and unfortunately, when he manages to be active, he hardly makes any impact whatsoever.
With Penny out for the year, Prosise was provided an opportunity to become a serious contributor in a Seattle offense desperate for a second running back to fill the “2” spot in a 1-2 punch with Carson.
Instead, Prosise managed 15 yards on five total carries. If it weren’t for Panthers linebacker Bruce Irvin’s finger grazing Prosise’s foot, he would have had a fumble to set Carolina up within Seattle’s 15-yard line.
No. 2 Stud – Tyler Lockett
Welcome back, Tyler Lockett! After a few weeks where his leg injury sustained against the 49ers was clearly holding him back, Lockett erupted with another classic performance.
Tyler Lockett led all Seahawk receivers by hauling in eight of nine passes thrown his way for 120 yards and a touchdown.
While Lockett made mincemeat of Panthers defenders, his best play of the afternoon came on 3rd-and-11 when the Seahawks were attempting to ice the game. Lockett reeled in a 14-yard pass which took the team to the two-minute warning, allowing them to run out the clock.
The Panthers were gaining momentum and the Seahawks defense wasn’t stopping them. This crucial third-down conversion saved Seattle from a potentially humiliating defeat.
2 Dud – Seattle’s inability to win convincingly
Seriously, what is it with these Seahawks? Just when it seems Seattle has a game wrapped up and is cruising towards a comfortable win, things seemingly fall apart late in the contest.
Twice in the last three weeks, the Seahawks have had opportunities to win convincingly. They were up by 17 against Minnesota and up 20 on Sunday versus the Panthers. Yet both games came down to one-score victories as the defense gave up multiple points late.
Seattle may be 11-3 but are only +26 in point differential for 2019. Something far more indicative of a team closer to .500 than one playing for a first-round bye.
No. 3 Studs – Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright
Seattle’s veteran linebacking duo is still capable of ruining opposing offenses’ afternoons. Both Wright and Wagner had remarkable afternoons, a major reason why the Seahawks were able to leave Charlotte winners.
Wagner led the Seahawks with 10 total tackles, two pass deflections, and his first interception of the year. K.J. Wright only had four tackles, but defended two passes and had his first two interceptions of 2019 as well.
Going into this game, Wright only had three career interceptions. By snagging two against Carolina, Wright now has his first multiple-interception game and his first multiple-interception season with three for the year.
No. 4 Stud – Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson started the year nuclear-hot but has cooled off this past month, throwing an interception in each of the last four games.
On Sunday, Wilson enjoyed a nice bounce-back game and looked like his usual, surgical self. Wilson carved up the Panthers defense on 20-of-26 passing for 286 yards and two touchdowns.
While the MVP race might be lost to Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, Wilson is still the most valuable player for the Seahawks this season.
