3 things to watch in Seahawks vs. Panthers

The Seahawks and Panthers were among the best in the league a season ago and should provide for a solid matchup on Sunday -- though both have struggled at times this season.

by James Brady

Oct 26, 2014, 11:30 AM UTC

Scott Kane-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers had strong arguments for the No. 1 and No. 2 defenses a season ago. They were also among the league's best teams, but both have struggled thus far this season. Carolina is 3-3-1 on the season, and ranks 22nd in pass defense (250.7 passing yards allowed per game) and 26th in run defense (137.6 rushing yards allowed per game). They tied the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6 and were dominated by the Green Bay Packers in Week 7.

Seattle is faring slightly better on the defensive side of the ball, though it is 3-3 on the season. The Seahwaks rank 16th against the pass (allowing 239.0 passing yards per game) and sixth against the run (85.5 rushing yards allowed). But they've hit a rough patch, falling to both the Dallas Cowboys and the St. Louis Rams in recent weeks.

The two teams meet on Sunday, and it should be a very solid matchup. Here’s three big questions heading into the game:

1. Can the Seahawks generate pressure?

One area in which the Seahawks have declined dramatically this year is the pass rush. The Seahawks are tied for 27th in the league in sacks this season, recording just seven thus far. Only the Cowboys, Rams and Oakland Raiders have fewer sacks.

At the same time, the Panthers haven't been good at keeping their quarterbacks clean. They're 13th in the league with 15 sacks allowed (the Jacksonville Jaguars "lead" the league with 29 sacks allowed). The Packers managed to tally three sacks against the Panthers in Week 7, and the Packers don't exactly have a dominant pass rush.

2. Can Greg Olsen keep it up?

The Panthers’ Greg Olsen has been a solid tight end for much of his career, but he’s well on his way to his most productive season yet. This is his eighth year in the NFL and he’s caught 41 passes for 493 yards and five touchdowns. Against the Packers a week ago, Olsen caught all eight of the passes thrown his way for 105 yards, though he didn’t manage to find the end zone.

The Seahawks have been terrible at defending tight ends this season, though they've also faced Antonio Gates and Julius Thomas, which certainly makes things tougher. Seattle has given up a league-high eight touchdowns against tight ends and opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 99.1 when throwing to the tight end (as noted by David Newton of ESPN). All signs point to Olsen having another big game on Sunday.

3. Can the Panthers stop the run?

The answer to this one is "probably not" at this point. The Seahawks may field the No. 29 passing offense in the league, but Marshawn Lynch leads the league's second-ranked rushing offense. Lynch has 97 carries (actually on pace for fewer carries than he's used to) for 405 yards and three touchdowns. Russell Wilson is obviously helping that rushing attack, with 327 yards and three touchdowns of his own.

In fact, the Panthers’ linebackers ability (or inability) to keep Wilson contained is one of the more interesting aspects of this game. Wilson’s prolific abilities open up the running game for Lynch an awful lot, and as noted above, the Panthers have been bad at stopping the run for much of the season. The Panthers have allowed 137.6 rushing yards per game this season.