Seattle Seahawks 24-31 Carolina Panthers
Well folks, this game really was a contest of two halves. At the end of the second quarter you really thought there was no way in the world Seattle could come back so you have to give Russell Wilson and his team a lot of respect. The truth of the matter is that the best way to describe this encounter is that Carolina SURVIVED.
Domination was evenly shared but in the end, Seattle’s rally came short. The Panthers, nonetheless, make it to the NFC championship for the fourth time in their history and will play Carson Palmer and the Arizona Cardinals.
That’s it from me. Thank you so much for tuning in and for all your tweets and comments. Enjoy the AFC divisional matchup.
Final Seattle 24-31 Carolina - End of 4th quarter
On 3rd and 17: Newton takes a knee and the Panthers survive a dramatic second half and head to their 4th NFC championship game. Panthers win!
Seattle 24-31 Carolina 1:12 4th quarter
Onside kick formation and Carolina recovers the ball. Huge play by the Panthers and unless something ridiculous happens this is a Carolina win.
Field goal - Seattle 24-31 Carolina 1:12 4th quarter
3rd and 15: Wilson with an incomplete pass to Kearse and out comes the field goal unit.
4th and 15: Hauschka makes a 36 yard field goal and hope remains for Seattle. No matter what happens they deserve a lot of credit for this second half.
Seattle 21-31 Carolina 1:21 4th quarter
2nd and 15: There’s a flag at the start of the play. Ilegal formation against Seattle. 3rd and 15.
Seattle 21-31 Carolina 1:26 4th quarter
3rd and 4: FALSE START on Wilson and it’s a 5 yard penalty.
3rd and 9: Wilson finds Doug Baldwin and the drive continues inside the 30. 1st and 10: Again to Baldwin and immediately, Wilson spikes the ball.
2nd and 10: Delay of game on Seattle and it’s 2nds and 15.
Seattle 21-31 Carolina 2:05 4th quarter
1st and 10: Well, the play stands and the pass is fair as receiver dragged his feet inbounds. Wilson now at Seattle’s 35. This is it: Great protection for Wilson and he finds Luke Wilson for 14 yards who goes out of bounds.
1st and 10: Kuechly with a great example of breaking up play as Wilson looks for Baldwin. 2nd and 10: Kearse catches for 6 yards and it’s the two minute warning.
Cam is not happy.
Cam's reaction to the @Seahawks touchdown... OK. #SEAvsCAR pic.twitter.com/ycgNoaUPIU
— NFL (@NFL) January 17, 2016
Seattle 21-31 Carolina 2:25 4th quarter
1st and 10: Wilson completes to Baldwin for 13. On the next set, Wilson with an incomplete pass but then one official overrules the other and call it fair. Ron Rivera challenges and now the play is under review.
Seattle 21-31 Carolina 2:49 4th quarter
Hauschka kicks it to Webb who takes it to Carolina’s 31 for 11 yards. I can’t believe this comeback right now.
1st and 10: Stewart runs it for 3 yards and just about stays on his feet. This field is very, very slippery.
2nd and 7: Newton finds his reliable target and Olsen makes it a first down for 8 yards. He was wide open. I don’t get that. Mike Tolbert with no gain on 1st and 10 and it’s 2nd and 10.
2nd and 10: Stewart runs it for a few yards and it’s TIMEOUT by Carolina. 3rd and 7 and it’s hand-ff to Tolbert who won’t make it.
4th and 2 and you have to say that’s smart coaching as all you want to do is kill that clock. Nortman to Lockett who catches it in Seattle’s 16. There’s a flag on the play: Ilegal formation against Carolina and it’s an extra 5 yards for Seattle.
I totally forgot about that. Yes, so true!
Man, just think if @Seahawks would have made that FG at end of half when they were down 31-0. Be down a TD right now 6 min to go!! #SEAvsCAR
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) January 17, 2016
Things got very, very real.
Oh boy, things just got real. #SEAvsCAR pic.twitter.com/MkGPPo8uOH
— Sports on Earth (@SportsonEarth) January 17, 2016
Touchdown! Seattle 21-31 6:04 Carolina 4th quarter
1st and 10: Seattle wins the challenge and they are now at Carolina’s 46. Wilson finds Kearse again and he catches it for 15 yards. Wilson looking much, much better.
1st and 10: Wilson to Wilson as he runs to Carolina’s 21 for 10 yards. Kearse then makes it a gain of 6 yards.
2nd and 4: Marshawn Lynch, like a man possessed, takes it for 8 yards. On 1st and 10 and Carolina’s 7, Wilson fails to reach Wilson.
2nd and goal: Lynch catches the ball for 4 yards and the entire Carolina D runs to bring him down.
3rd and goal: OH. MY. GOD. What a great job by Wilson. He evades the sack, makes a turn, buys sometime and throws it above Norman for Kearse. WOW.
Extra point is good. This is just amazing. I am beginning to winder if Carolina are doing this on purpose.
Seattle 14-31 Carolina 9:27 4th quarter
1st and 10 at their own 27: Wilson looks for Kearse but it’s too long. On 2nd and 10 Wilson runs to the right and looks for Lockett who catches it but it’s ruled out of bounds. Seattle challenges. It looks in...Lockett’s right foot dragged just in bounds and I think this is going to be overturned.
Kearse’s touchdown
Seattle 14-31 Carolina 9:37 4th quarter
3rd and 6: Newton to Olsen for 6 yards and he gets hit HARD, has to leave the field. He does, however, pick up the first down and it’s 1st and 10 at Carolina’s 35. There’s warning for Pete Carroll for unsporstmanship.
On the next set of downs, Carolina push and Stewart passes 100 yards for the day.
3rd and 2: Cam Newton takes it himself but loses 8 yards.
4th and 7: Nortman punts to Seattle’s 27 and away from Lockett. I think that’s a good idea.
Seattle 14-31 Carolina 11:58 4th quarter
2nd and 6: Newton rushes it himself and can only pick up 3 yards. On 3rd and 3, Newton is patient and finds his Tight End, Dickson for 6 yards and it’s a first down at their own 25.
1st and 10: Carolina’s offensive line playing very, very well as they give Newton a lot of time. He finds Stewart for 5 yards. On 2nd and 5, Stewart picks up one yard and it’s 3rd and 6.
3rd and 6: Cam Newton is clearly angry as their team are not speeding it up and they have to take a TIME OUT.
Carroll was pleased with the fake punt.
What. A. Call. #SEAvsCAR https://t.co/3PMWsdjwtU
— Spark Sports (@SprkSports) January 17, 2016
Seattle 14-31 Carolina - End of third quarter
1st and 10: Newton to Jonathan Stewart who takes it for 4 yards and it’s the end of the third quarter. Can Carolina hold on?
Seattle 14-31 Carolina 0:26 3rd quarter
3rd and 24: Wilson finds Lynch but he can only gain 11 yards. It’s 4th and 13. Another fake punt?
4th and 13: Ryan punts it to Carolina’s 12 and Ginn Jr muffs the catch but recovers. Seattle back with the ball.
Seattle 14-31 Carolina 1:02 3rd quarter
Seattle at their own 15.
1st and 10: Wilson with an incomplete pass looking for Baldwin, finds Kearse for 8 yards and it’s 3rd and 2.
3rd and 2: Wilson again looks for Baldwin but it’s incomplete and finally, Carolina get a stop on a Seattle drive.
4th and 2: It’s a fake punt and Shead runs it for 17 yards.
1st and 10: Kearse takes it to Carolina’s 43 and it’s another 1st down. Wilson rushes as there is pressure from Seattle but gets no gain.
2nd and 10: Josh Norman comes out of nowhere and the all-pro corner SACKS Wilson for a loss of 14 yards. TIME OUT to Seattle.
Beautiful play.
There's a LOT of football left. Tyler Lockett hauls in an incredible 33-yard TD pass. We got a ballgame #SEAvsCAR https://t.co/M1AGdX2HuB
— NFL (@NFL) January 17, 2016
Seattle 14-31 Carolina 4:14 3rd quarter
The Panthers have the ball on their own 44.
1st and 10: Hand-off to Stewart for a gain of 5 and JS is getting closer to a 100 yard day.
2nd and 5: Cam Newton throws an incomplete pass looking for Brown and it’s 3rd and 5. It’s a big one, here, and Newton once again with an incomplete pass. Great job by Seattle’s D.
4th and 5: Nortman with a great, high punt and Lockett with a fair catch.
Seattle 14-31 Carolina 5:03 3rd quarter
Webb to Carolina’s 18 for 8 yards and here we go with Cam...
1st and 10: It’s a high snap and Newton hands it Artis-Payne who only gains a couple of yards.
2nd and 8: Newton finds Funchess with a great throw for 3 yards.
1st and 10: Stewart can only find a few yards and on 2nd and 7 Newton once again with a similar pass to Cotchery. The key here for Carolina is release that ball as fast as you can.
1st and 10: The play clock at 1 and Carolina take a TIMEOUT
Game on.
#TOUCHDOWN SEAHAWKS! 3rd & 11 @DangeRussWilson goes deep to @TDLockett12! #SEAvsCAR #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/oqkXZpeD5R
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) January 17, 2016
Touchdown! Seattle 14-31 Carolina 7:40 3rd quarter
2nd and 19: Wilson runs it for 9 yards and it’s 3rd and 11.
3rd and 11: Wilson shifts and looks for Lockett for 33 yards and it’s a TOUCHDOWN! This is incredible. I guess it is not over.
Stay tuned, folks.
Seattle 7-31 Carolina 8:37 3rd quarter
1st and 10: Wow. Wilson looks for Doug Baldwin as he pulls a double move to lose his opposite man but the pass is too long. That would have gone to the house. ON 2nd down Wilson throws incomplete pass.
3rd and 10: Wilson runs it for 14 yards and takes it to Carolina’s 49.
1st and 10: Wilson again finds Kearse who catches it and runs for 16. A great block by Lynch.
1st and 10: SACK! Edwards gets Wilson for a loss of 9 yards.
Email from Thomas Wahl...I think it worked, my friend.
“So what’s happening you ask - Carroll should pull a Vince Lombardi: Open the door and say, ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I was looking for the men’s locker room.’ The Packers came back to win.”
Seattle 7-31 Carolina 10:30 3rd quarter
2nd and 7: Stewart runs it down the middle with a gain of 2 and it’s 3rd and 5.
3rd and 5: Newton gets sacked with a loss of 10 and this Seattle team has woken up.
4th and 15: Carolina punts and Lockett receives it and runs it to their own 36. Game on. Whatever Carroll said, it seems to be working.
Seattle 7-31 Carolina 12:05 3rd quarter
Joe Webb receives runs it to Carolina’s 27 for 15 yards.
1st and 10: Newton had a lot of time and looked for Ginn Jr. but he can’t complete it.
2nd and 10: Artis-Payne rushes for 3 yards and it’s 3rd and 7. Seattle are up for this.
3rd and 7: Seattle blitzes and Newton with a bullet to Greg Olsen. Did he make it for the first down? They’re gonna measure it and the TIP of the football just about makes it.
1st and 10: Newton slides with a gain of 2-3 yards.
Touchdown! Seattle 7-31 13:27 Carolina 3rd quarter
Locket takes it to the 50 for 50 yards and it’s a good start for the Seahawks.
1st and 10: Wilson to Kevin Smith and he’s good for 8 yards. On 2nd down Baldwin takes it to Carolina’s 22.
1st and 10: Kearse takes it to Carolina’s 13 and now they’re moving.
1st and 10: Wow. Kearse with a TOUCHDOWN for 13 yards and in less than a minute Seattle are on the board.
There’s a review to see if it was a clean catch and it was. Extra point is good and game on. This was all thanks to Lockett’s run from kickoff.
Well played, FOX SPORTS. Well played.
First half recap #SEAvsCAR pic.twitter.com/VSSdXpFGrY
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 17, 2016
Well, this has been a one sided contest and I guess that’s what happens when you hype something up too much. I should have listened to Public Enemy. I would give my right arm to be in Seattle’s locker room right now. So what’s happening? Take your pick:
Carolina have not allowed Seattle to establish a running game, Wilson looks nervous, Seattle’s front line look exhausted...but to be honest, you can just see how the Panthers entered this game with a chip on their shoulder and they want to prove that they belong in the Super Bowl.
Let’s see what happens in second half. My guess is that it’s more of the same.
Seattle 0-31 Carolina - End of first half
1st and 10: Wilson hands it to Lynch and it takes half the squad to take him down with a gain of 9.
2nd and 1: Wilson finds Luke Wilson for 8 yards and they’re at the 50. A quick TIME OUT by Seattle with 10 seconds left in the half.
Carolina call for a TIME OUT.
2nd and 10: Wilson to Jackson for 13 yards and on CAR 37.
1st and 10: Carolina go for a field goal and Hauschka’s attempt is NO GOOD.
Seattle 0-31 Carolina 1:11 2nd quarter
2nd and 8: Mike Tolbert runs for 2 yards and it’s 3rd and 6 on CAR 18.
3rd and 6: Tolbert once again but gets very little, once again. We get a TIME OUT by Seattle.
4th and 3: Nortman punts 43 yards to Seattle’s 33. Fair Catch by Lockett.
Here’s the perfect Newton-Olsen TD.
Perfect Cam Newton throw. Ridiculous Greg Olsen catch. The Panthers are causing SERIOUS problems. #KeepPounding https://t.co/THn9hlMaVj
— NFL (@NFL) January 17, 2016
Seattle 0-31 Carolina 2:00 2nd quarter
4th and 5: Wilson looks for Baldwin who catches for 4 yards but it’s not enough. Carolina takes over and we’re at the 2 minute warning.
Seattle 0-31 Carolina 2:22 2nd quarter
1st and 10: Wilson aims for Lockett by the sideline but he drops the ball.
2nd and 10: Wilson takes it himself and he just missed the marker.
3rd and inches: Baldwin catches and just about makes it for a first down. We’re in Carolina’s 23.
1st and 10: A flag on SEA for holding. 1st and 20: Incomplete pass as Wilson looks for Jackson.
2nd and 20: A great deep ball to Kearse is incomplete as Carolina’s secondary has it well protected.
3rd and 20: Wilson rushes outside the pocket and Lockett catches at CAR 18 for 15 yards.
TIME OUT, SEATTLE.
Seattle 0-31 Carolina 4:33 2nd quarter
Gano kicks 65 yards from their 35 to the end zone and it’s a touchback. What can Seattle do here? Nothing seems to be working at all.
1st and 10: Wilson to Doug Baldwin for his first catch for 7 yards. On 2nd and 3 they get a fresh set of downs.
1st and 10: Baldwin once again with a catch for 21 yards and they’re at the 49. Wilson to Kearse and it’s an 8 yard gain.
4:33 and Carolina calls for a TIME OUT, presumably to ry and break the momentum and reset.
ha ha!!! Very good, very good indeed.
You could get a fairer contest by pitting an actual sea hawk against a real life panther. @lmechegaray
— Hunter Felt (@HunterFelt) January 17, 2016
Do you mean...Superman Cam?
@lmechegaray There's been lots of poor reffing this weekend. For example, these refs haven't noticed Carolina are playing with an extra man.
— Travis Giblin (@travisgiblin) January 17, 2016
Yes, very true.
@lmechegaray Carolina doing to Seattle what Seattle did to Denver in Super Bowl 2014
— Feroze Hussain (@ferozemj) January 17, 2016
Nice.
Jeez, it's like Seahawks haven't defrosted from their trip to Minnesota @lmechegaray
— Josie B (@Josseffernee) January 17, 2016
Touchdown Seattle 0-31 Carolina 6:26 2nd quarter
1st down and 10: Jonathan Stewart finds nothing and Newton, on 2nd and 14 looks for Brown but Chancellor breaks it up.
3rd and 14: Wow. Newton with a lot of time, finds Greg Olsen for 19 yards and this game really might just be over.
Extra point is good and it’s 31-0.
Seattle 0-24 Carolina 8:45 2nd quarter
1st and 10: On their own 46, Newton hands it to Stewart for no gain.
On 2nd and 10 Newton with a great pass to Corey Brown for 17 yards and the Panthers are now in Seattle’s 37.
A fresh set of downs and Cam Newton finds Cotchery for 5 yards.
2nd and 5: Stewart fight as he runs down the middle but only gets a couple.
3rd and 2: Newton on his own and he gets the first down and they’re on Seattle’s 26.
Seattle 0-24 Carolina 11:18 2nd quarter
1st and 10: Wilson hands it to Lynch but gets zero yardage.
On 2nd and 10: Wilson gets sacked again with a loss of 8 and they’re on their own 12.
3rd and 18: Seattle calls a TIME OUT and Pete Carroll needs to talk it over. Wilson looks for Kearse but the pass is incomplete. Kearse actually slipped so the field is clearly having an impact.
4th and 18 and Jon Ryan punts and Carolina will start at their own 46.
What can Seattle do here? Wilson needs to settle himself and the best way to do that is with the running game. Time for Lynch to step up.
Field Goal Seattle 0- 24 Carolina 12:37 2nd quarter
On 1st down, Newton with a short pass to Artis-Payne to Seattle’s 28 for one yard.
2nd and 9: Newton looks to get out of trouble from some pressure but gets tackled and has a loss of 2.
3rd and 11: Newton looks to throw it down the middle but Richard Sherman breaks the play. Exactly what they needed.
4th and 11: Gano’s 48 yard field goal is good. Panthers up 24-0.
Seattle 0-21 Carolina 14:18 2nd quarter
On 1st and 10 and their 15, Wilson throws another interception by Finnegan! The man who replaced Tillman a months ago. This is amazing.
This game is all Carolina right now. Is it possible that the Seahawks can come back? Well if yesterday taught us anything...
Indeed...
Panthers mood #SEAvsCAR pic.twitter.com/FcouGIBnA3
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 17, 2016
Touchdown Seattle 0-21 Carolina 14:22 2nd quarter
On 1st down Newton hands it to Stewart who takes it yards from the end zone. On 2nd, he gets there for one yard. Touchdown!
Extra point is good...is this over already?
Seattle 0-14 Carolina End of 2nd quarter
Newton pass short middle to E.Dickson to SEA 5 for 16 yards.
And it’s the end of the 1st quarter.
Seattle 0-14 Carolina 0:42 1st quarter
On 2nd and 15, Newton finds Greg Olsen again to Seattle’s 30 for 27 yards. This is a long, long drive now.
After two rushing attempts to get to the 20, it’s 3rd and inches for Carolina.
Time out to Carolina.
Seattle 0-14 Carolina 3:08 1st quarter
There’s a flag on the play and it’s a false start on Carolina. 5 yard penalty. 2nd down and 15.
Seattle 0-14 Carolina 3:29 1st quarter
Here comes Carolina. On 1st down, Stewart takes it only 2 yards but on 2nd, Newton finds Olsen for 9 yards and a fresh set of downs.
Tolbert and Stewart are working hard for every yard and it’s a fresh set of downs once again as they reach Carolina’s 36.
On 2nd and 10, Newton runs it himself for the first to their 41.
3rd and 5: Newton with a bullet to Jericho Cotchery and they’re just about to enter the 50.
It might be.....ha ha!
Is it already too late to predict that the Panthers will win? @lmechegaray
— Hunter Felt (@HunterFelt) January 17, 2016
Seattle 0-14 Carolina 08:10 1st quarter
So now what does Pete Carroll do?
On 1st down, Lynch runs for 5 yards.
Wilson finds Luke Wilson for a first down and inside Carolina’s half. After a short run by Lynch, Wilson gets sacked by Short and Seattle takes a loss of ten.
3rd and 19: Wilson finds Jackson but he’s short of the first down. Great job by Carolina’s D.
Jon Ryan punts and it’s a fair catch for Ted Ginn Jr.
Touchdown Seattle 0 - 14 Carolina 11:38 1st quarter
How will the Seahawks respond?
Marshawn Lynch has no place to go on 1st down.
On 2nd and 13 Newton throws a pick to Kuechly and it’s 14-0 to Carolina!
Touchdown Seattle 0 -7 Carolina 12:30 1st quarter
3 plays and Carolina takes it in to Seattles red zone. Touchdown by Jonathan Stewart. What a start
Seattle 0-0 Carolina 14:47 1st quarter
What a run by Jonathan Stewart as takes it down field to 59 yards.
Kickoff
Seattle won the toss, they deferred so Carolina with the ball first. Return by Webb and Newton starts close to the 25.
Both teams are on the field and the National Anthem is sang by Jordan Smith, winner of THE VOICE. The weather is perfect, Richard Sherman looks locked in.
LET’S GO.
The stadium is getting ready and as Troy Aikman said, “THIS IS SMASHMOUTH FOOTBALL.”
The teams are ready to come out of the tunnel. Stay tuned.
Cam and the boys are ready:
Its LIT 🔥🔥🔥 https://t.co/31S3zCkzMB
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) January 17, 2016
Seattle is ready:
Seahawks Sound: Put your hands IN when your heart is full and your mind is ready. #SEAvsCAR #NFLPlayoffs https://t.co/QBq1AaYT9g
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) January 17, 2016
So as we’re getting closer and closer to Kickoff I’d love to know your predictions. You can send me an email or a tweet @lmechegaray.
This is great. Some players were giving their opinion #ONTHEBUS...
Go #OnTheBus before #SEAvsCAR - Win or go home! (via @PROcast) https://t.co/LhRFTbmwuJ
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 17, 2016
Well done to FOX NETWORK, by the way. Their pregame show upped their game this season. So far we’ve had Justin Timberlake impersonations, stories and experiences from fans and personal interviews from Doug Baldwin, Josh Norman and many more. Not to mention the toughest punditry on Television...
As I said earlier, this has the opportunity to be a classic. The general consensus is leaning towards the more experienced Seattle but I’m not sure if it’s that simple. Both teams cancel each other out in most situations so to me, it’s all about what happens with the Special Teams unit. Look out for the running game to be a key factor as well as Stewart and Lynch aim to take off some of the pressure from their QBs.
Yup, I did the the same mistake.
For a second, I thought this was Cam handing a ball to another young fan. Then I remembered he's a giant. #SEAvsCAR https://t.co/u3ymB9TfmJ
— Cory Collins (@CoCoCoryCollins) January 17, 2016
A big question for this game is how this field is going to hold up. At glance, it appears slippery with a few ditches. Seems like an away game at St. James’ Park on a rainy February, minus Mike Ashley. (that’s my only Premier League-NFL crossover joke, I promise.)
Send us your best Bane/Beast Mode memes...
Beast Mode is BACK! #SEAvsCAR pic.twitter.com/EXk30j6Sf4
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 17, 2016
Hawks:
#Seahawks inactives: Tye Smith, Bryce Brown, Will Tukuafu, Eric Pinkins, Mark Glowinski, Kristjan Sokoli, A.J. Francis.
— John Boyle (@johnpboyle) January 17, 2016
Your full list of inactives for the Panthers:
#Panthers Inactives for #SEAvsCAR: WR Bersin, CB Young, S Marlowe, RB Wegher, RB Whittaker, WR Norwood, DE Delaire.
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) January 17, 2016
P.S This is amazing.
CAM'S SHIRT HAS HIS BABY SON DABBING ON IT! (via @paulsilvi) https://t.co/V406PlH1jx pic.twitter.com/z3bbGO5BPV
— SB Nation (@SBNation) January 17, 2016
Preamble:
Hi everyone and welcome to the second matchup in the NFC divisional round where the Seattle Seahawks and the Carolina Panthers will be facing each other in the playoffs for the second straight year. The winner will face the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship, who defeated Green Bay in OT last night in extraordinary fashion. When they met in Week 6 at CenturyLink Field, Carolina proved their status as legitimate Super Bowl contenders, beating Seattle 27-23, but make no mistake about it, this will be a different encounter all together and Seattle are a different team since that loss. Their offensive line has improved tremendously and have allowed Russell Wilson to have more time in the pocket, their secondary unit is locked in and Marshawn Lynch is back and ready to go. Pete Carroll’s team has won seven games from the last eight and despite the fact that luck played a big part against the Vikings, this team is ready to go.
The truth of the matter is that they better be ready, because the Panthers, rested and prepared, finished the season 15-1, are healthy, and ready to prove they can go all the way. Their only key player who hasn’t been around is cornerback Charles Tillman who tore his ACL in the regular season finale against Tampa. That hole was filled by Cortland Finnegan as he came out of retirement and is now a starter. Additionally, Jonathan Stewart returns after missing the final three games of the regular season and Ted Ginn Jr. is officially active.
But who are we kidding? This is about the Quarterbacks and there might not be a better duo that could take over the Manning-Brady rivalry era than Russell Wilson and Cam Newton. Interestingly enough, they represent their teams’ characteristics and how similar they are on the field. My favorite stat being how Wilson and Newton are the first two players in NFL history to reach 300 passing and 100 rushing yards in the same game.
So, get ready for a Super Bowl encounter disguised as a Divisional playoff game: Two teams who love to impose themselves on their opponent from the first minute, two QB’s cut from the same thread, two leading corners who never shy away from a challenge and two coaches who leave it all on the field.
Feel free to contact me with predictions and comments or send me a tweet @lmechegaray.
Luis will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s Dave Caldwell on whether the Seahawks are more lucky than good:
“The final kick was kicked much faster than their other kicks,” Carroll said. “I don’t need to give you the times, but it was considerably faster. So for whatever reason, they sped up their mechanism. Sherm couldn’t have been closer. We can’t figure out how he didn’t get it. So they went quite a bit faster, so I don’t know, you’d have to ask them. We don’t know, but at least that fact’s in there.”
Sherman told reporters that the earlier near-block “might have factored in” to Walsh hooking his final attempt. Admirably, Walsh, who’d made 125 of 146 field-goal attempts in four years for the Vikings prior to the last-minute miss, took all of the blame. But “fortunate” is far from the same thing as “lucky.” The Seahawks are still alive because they adapt.
Updated
