To be the best, you have to beat the best, and the Seattle Seahawks have been the class of the NFC for a while. After back-to-back trips to the Super Bowl, the Seahawks were statistically better than ever in 2015, even if a 10-6 regular season record didn't show it.
The Panthers took out the kings of the NFC on their path to a battle for the throne
Taking out the Seahawks was a statement win for the Panthers, who have been looking for respect all year.
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And the Carolina Panthers took them out on Sunday.
"I would be lying to you if I said that it didn't feel good to go out and beat Seattle," Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis told Max Henson of Panthers.com. "They've been the team to beat in the conference for the last few years. For us to go out and beat this team -- a team we haven't beaten here at home in three or four tries -- it was definitely rewarding."
The Panthers finished the year 15-1, but have been looking for respect every step of the way. Even after earning home field advantage throughout the playoffs, there have been claims that Carolina was gifted wins along the way. The Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints and New York Giants all blew late opportunities to deal the Panthers losses. Carolina was also fortunate to have a schedule that pitted it against AFC South and NFC East opponents, in addition to six games against relatively weak divisional rivals.
While the Panthers managed to win close games, the Seahawks gave up fourth-quarter leads in four of the first six weeks of the season. Still, when the playoffs rolled around, the team would have Russell Wilson, who earned six postseason wins in his first three seasons, leading the way. When the sixth-seeded Seahawks traveled across the country to face the No. 1 Panthers, they entered as only a field goal underdog.
But getting through Wilson and the reigning kings of the conference was exactly what the Panthers wanted.
"We wanted that missed field goal in Minnesota last week," Panthers safety Tre Boston told Panthers.com after the game. "We wanted these guys to come into our home. It was amazing to come out with this win."
After the first half, the Panthers left no doubt that they are a legitimate Super Bowl contender, crushing the Seahawks to jump out to a 31-0 lead. It was the largest halftime lead in the playoffs in more than a decade, and even when Carolina took its foot off the gas pedal in the second half, the lead was too much for the Seahawks to overcome.
Now the Panthers can leave no doubts when the Arizona Cardinals travel to Charlotte, NC for the NFC Championship.
“In all honesty, [the Seahawks] have been the watermark here in the NFC and we have an opportunity that we want,” Panthers head coach Ron Rivera. “Now here comes the next one and it’s Arizona. They are the [No.] 2 seed for a reason. They are a well coached football team with a dynamic quarterback. They’ve got some playmakers that we saw last night and then they have an aggressive defense. This is a complete team that we will play, as well, and we have to be on our game.”
The Panthers never played the Cardinals during the 2015 regular season, but eliminated Arizona in the playoffs one year ago. That came against the Ryan Lindley-led Cardinals, though, and Carolina was able to keep Arizona to just 78 yards of total offense. With Carson Palmer leading the way, the Cardinals finished No. 1 in total offense in 2015.
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