CAROLINA (vs Seattle):
Carolina’s defense has fallen apart, so it’s a little surprising the Panthers are 3-3-1 and leading the NFC South. Maybe their defensive troubles have benefited their offense, which is slightly better in scoring (16th versus 18th) and way better in passing (8th versus 27th) than it was last season. Seattle has some problems of its own, and most surprisingly has been average or worse in terms of points allowed (19th) and defending the pass (14th). Carolina might not win, but its offense won’t necessarily sputter against the defending champs. We’d say that with more certainty if the meetings the last two seasons, also in Charlotte, hadn’t been extremely low scoring Seattle wins: 16-12 and 12-7. But that Carolina defense doesn’t live here anymore, and it’s a different Seattle defense, too. ... Cam Newton might see a little of himself in Russell Wilson. The Seattle quarterback, after all, has had a hand in the vast majority of the team’s touchdowns (passing and rushing) while running for big yardage of late, and so has Newton. Since putting his various early-season injuries behind him, Newton has rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown the last two games. On the season he’s averaging 245 passing yards and has thrown 8 TDs in six games, including 5 in the last three. He also leads the team in rushing, and with those rushing yards worth twice as much as passing yards in most leagues, he’s a high-upside fantasy performer. Carolina’s own defense is serving up 28 points per game, so Newton has little choice but to keep throwing it (and running it). Seattle’s defense has been strikingly ineffective against the pass. Just 2
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interceptions and 7 sacks all season, and opponents are compiling a 103.7 passer rating while completing nearly 70 percent of their passes. Seattle has allowed multiple touchdown passes in five straight games, and 283-plus passing yards in three of those. Austin Davis threw for only 152 yards, but completed 86 percent of his passes (18 of 21). The Legion of Boom doesn’t appear likely to stop the guy who does that Superman pose this week. Newton averaged just 133 passing yards in the games the last two seasons, with 1 TD. But he looks like a difference quarterback now. ... Kelvin Benjamin is an every-week start type of player. He was limited all week after suffering a concussion, and still caught a touchdown for the fifth time in seven games. His yards have been down of late (49 per game in the last three), but he’s still managing a respectable 68 per game on the season, and Seattle has been only average against the pass. Jerricho Cotchery has been a serviceable No. 2, averaging 51 yards over the last four games. But he hasn’t caught a touchdown all season (just a 2-pointer back in Week 2), and the way this defense is constructed, it doesn’t appear he’ll break that streak here. Of the 12 TD passes the Seahawks allowed, only 3 have gone to wide receivers; a league-high 8 have gone to tight ends. For that reason, Greg Olsen looks far more likely to find the end zone than any of the team’s wideouts. Olsen’s having a big year anyway, averaging 70 yards per game and with as many touchdowns (5) as Benjamin. He also comes off his first 100-yard game of the season. ... Carolina ranks 27th in rushing, and while injuries to their top tailbacks have been a factor, it’s reached a point where it doesn’t seem to matter who they put back there. Even when Jonathan Stewart has been healthy, as he is right now, he hasn’t been able to get anything going, and neither have any of Carolina’s other runners.
| Top Panthers rushing performances, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Opp. | Player | Yards | TD |
| @T.B. | D.Williams | 70 | 0 |
| Det. | J.Stewart | 37 | 1 |
| Pitt. | J.Stewart | 31 | 0 |
| @Balt. | D.Williams | 34 | 0 |
| Chi. | D.Reaves | 35 | 0 |
| @Cin. | F.Whittaker | 25 | 1 |
| @G.B. | J.Stewart | 50 | 0 |
Just once in seven games, then, have the Panthers put a running back over 50 yards, and that was the still-injured DeAngelo Williams back in Week 1. Stewart, Fozzy Whittaker and Chris Ogbonnaya have each scored 1 TD. Stewart should be the main back against Seattle, but we don’t expect him to do anything in this game. Seattle, for all its problems, ranks 6th against the run, as well. ... Graham Gano averages close to 8 kicking points per game; exactly 8 points at home. Seattle is allowing 7 kicking points per game, so we’re putting an average ranking on Gano. ... The Panthers Defense misses Greg Hardy, certainly, but still brings at least an average pass rush to the table (15 sacks) and also has 7 interceptions. Russell Wilson, though, as thrown only 2 picks and been sacked a relatively average 14 times. About 2 sacks and maybe an interception is probably the ceiling for this defense, whose lone return score this year was a bizarre one where most thought the play was over. Carolina had an interception return touchdown and a safety in the game two years ago.
