The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Carolina Panthers 40-7 during a Week 13 matchup at CenturyLink Field. Here are six things you should know about this game.
Thomas Rawls is ‘fully back’ and he’s just what the Seahawks offense needed
Rawls lit the spark for Seattle’s offense in a 40-7 thumping of the Panthers.
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Rawls runs wild
Off and on throughout the entire season, Seattle has struggled on the ground. Its running backs couldn’t find holes to run through, and the offensive line had a hard time creating lanes.
However, that wasn’t the case in this game. Running back Thomas Rawls wreaked havoc on Carolina’s defense in the first half. He bounced runs to the outside for large gains, and he ran up the middle to churn out tough yards.
“I kind of talked about him in the team meeting last night, that we could see Thomas [Rawls] really go and explode,” Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said after the game. “Because he had such a great week of preparation. I think he finally felt like he was fully back.”
With a 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter, Rawls scored on an 8-yard touchdown run to extended Seattle’s lead to 10-0, hurdling into the end zone. Rawls wasn’t done yet.
Early in the second quarter with a 10-7 lead, Rawls took the hand off, bounced it to the outside, and outran defenders for a 45-yard touchdown run. He took a helmet-to-helmet hit in the second quarter and left the game, but returned later in the third quarter.
He finished the first half with 11 carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Rawls averaged 9.4 yards per attempt. For the game, he recorded 106 rushing yards on just 15 carries and he scored two touchdowns.
It was just what the offense needed following last week’s 14-5 loss to the Buccaneers.
Different performances from the two signal callers
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson made plays for their respective teams. But Wilson made many more.
Wilson kept plays alive with his legs, threw accurate passes, and extended drives. Other than throwing an interception to Panthers safety Tre Boston in the second quarter, Wilson had a mistake-free game.
Early in the fourth quarter, he threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jimmy Graham to increase Seattle’s lead to 37-7.
He finished the game with 277 passing yards to go along with a touchdown and an interception.
Newton, on the other hand, made a couple of big plays. His best play of the night came on a 55-yard touchdown pass to receiver Ted Ginn Jr. in the second quarter. Newton stood in the pocket, surveyed the field, and launched the ball down the field to Ginn.
Other than that, Newton struggled to complete passes, overthrowing his receivers and tight ends. Since Carolina was down by a huge deficit throughout most of the game, it had to depend on Newton to orchestrate a comeback.
Newton threw for 182 yards and a touchdown.
Carolina’s inept rushing attack
Like Seattle, Carolina wants to run the ball to set up the pass. However, the Panthers offensive line could not carve out space for running back Jonathan Stewart. You have to give credit to Seattle’s defense because that unit did a great job of clogging up rushing lanes.
Stewart also fumbled in the second quarter, and Seattle recovered the ball. Carolina finished the first half with 22 rushing yards, and finished the game with 89 yards on the ground.
Tyler “Rocket” Lockett
Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett is Seattle’s Swiss army knife, meaning he can do it all. He is dangerous in the run game, pass game, and on special teams. His speed is what makes him so hard to defend.
Carolina found out quickly that Lockett is one of the most dynamic players in the NFL. With a 23-7 lead early in the third quarter, he took a handoff, got on the perimeter, and raced down the sideline for a 75-yard rushing touchdown.
He ended the game with 75 rushing yards and 63 receiving yards, as well as a 46-yard kick return that left Carroll gushing after the game.
“I don’t know that I’ve seen a guy look faster than when he finished that run tonight,” he said.
Earl Thomas left the game with a bad injury
Seahawks safety Earl Thomas left the game in the second quarter with leg injury. Early in the quarter, he jumped in the air to catch an interception.
While Thomas was in the air, his leg and safety Kam Chancellor’s leg collided, and Thomas fell to the ground and was in obvious pain. He was helped to the sideline and carted to the locker room.
Thomas suffered a broken bone in his leg.
No one knows how long he will be out, but this is a tough loss for this team. Thomas is arguably the best player on Seattle’s stingy defense.
Bizarre start to the game
On Carolina’s first play of the game, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera put backup quarterback Derek Anderson in the game. He rolled out of the pocket to throw to fullback Mike Tolbert, but Anderson threw an interception to Seattle linebacker Mike Morgan.
A lot of people were wondering why Anderson was on the field rather than Newton. This is the reason why:
People will question that decision for a long time.
What’s next for both teams?
Seattle will travel to Green Bay to take on the Packers for a Week 14 showdown. The Seahawks are starting to get hot at the right time. They are sitting comfortably atop the NFC West
Carolina will return to Charlotte for a Week 14 matchup against the San Diego Chargers. The Panthers’ chances of making it to the playoffs are now slim to none. Their defense has regressed this season, and the offense has been mediocre at best.
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