Given the similarities between the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers, it made sense to expect a tight defensive struggle at Bank of America Stadium. Both teams use a strong running game to ease the development of a young, mobile quarterback. Both have deep defensive lines with a cornerstone defensive end and rookie pass-rush specialists. Both are full of optimism for the future.
The difference on Sunday, however, was the Seattle defense, which harassed and held the Panthers' playmakers to just three points on offense. With a gritty 16-12 win, the Seahawks are again above .500, while the Panthers spiral further towards a nightmare season. Let’s take a look back at the biggest takeaways from the game.
Seattle – Three Performances of Note
The Cautiously Effective Russell Wilson
By all measurements this game was the best of rookie quarterback Russell Wilson’s young career. He completed 76% of his passes for 221 yards (both career highs) and came away with a +3.7 passing grade. He was perfect on throws in the middle of the field, hitting all 12 attempts for 155 yards, one touchdown, and a 146.5 QB rating. His one big mistake was a late and off-target pass that cornerback Captain Munnerlyn returned for the Panthers’ only touchdown. Otherwise, Wilson took advantage of man coverage when he saw it and hit a few nice bullet throws.
However, whether it be due to a lack of confidence from himself or his coaches, it’s clear that Wilson was held back in this game. Seattle offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell has a history of keeping his QBs on a short leash going back to his Minnesota days, and Wilson played to that style on Sunday. He attempted only seven passes over 10 yards (completing six) and cautiously settled for check-downs as the Seahawks entered the red zone. Even his touchdown came on a 5-yard slant that Golden Tate bounced into the end zone after the catch. To develop as a passer, Wilson will eventually have to take (and make) those tough throws.
Seattle’s Super Subs
The Seahawks’ starting defensive front four is already pretty good in it’s own right, so having Jason Jones and rookie Bruce Irvin available in their substitute packages is simply an embarrassment of riches. In limited snaps this season, Irvin ranks fifth among 4-3 defensive ends in Pass Rush Productivity and Jones ranks third among all defensive tackles. Once again, both made the most of their opportunities on Sunday. With 8:11 left in the second quarter, Irvin used his speed on an inside stunt to run down Cam Newton for a drive-ending sack. With 1:51 to play in the half, Jones caused a near-interception when he blew by right guard Garry Williams and hit Newton as he threw. Irvin then sealed the game for the Seahawks with his sack fumble on the Panthers' last drive. Many draft pundits wagged their fingers when the Seahawks drafted Irvin in the first round in April, just as they did when the 49ers grabbed Aldon Smith early last year. It looks like Irvin is following in Smith’s footsteps by coming off the bench to terrorize quarterbacks.
Attacking The Zone-Read
After his team’s heralded zone-read running game was held to just 82 yards, Cam Newton said, “When you know what guys are doing and you still can't beat them, they're just good at what they do”. Well put. The Seahawks’ ground defense has been stellar this season, led by the stout inside presence of tackles Brandon Mebane (+12.5 run defense grade) and Alan Branch (+1.6) as well as middle linebacker Bobby Wagner (+6.4). At the 5:18 mark of the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game, with the Panthers facing a 2nd-and-goal at the 3-yard line, Branch and defensive end Chris Clemons shot into the backfield so quickly that DeAngelo Williams barely received the handoff before he was tackled. With only 66.6 rushing yards allowed per game and a relentless pass rush, it’s time fans recognized Seattle as one of the best defenses in the league.
Carolina – Three Performances of Note
Newton Slumping
By most measurements, Sunday’s performance was the worst of Cam Newton’s (-4.0) career. He set career lows in passing yards, total yards, and completion percentage. He connected on just 3 of 15 passes in the first half. He had one completion and four sacks on 12 drop-backs he was pressured on. With a wide-open chance to give the Panthers the lead in the final minutes of the game, his awful underthrow on 4th-and-goal will go down as one of the worst pass attempts we see all season. Even his big completions, like the slant to Brandon LaFell to set up that goal-line situation, were off-target throws that his receivers hauled in. This was the type of game that scouts worried about when Newton displayed accuracy issues at the 2011 combine. The Panthers did a great job last year of keeping Newton in a rhythm with designed runs and high-percentage throws. Giving him quick, easy passes could rebuild his confidence and get him out of his funk.
The Return of Bad Steve Smith?
After a renaissance season filled with big stats and good vibes from Newton’s arrival, Steve Smith (-2.2) somewhat distanced himself from the old stories of a malcontent receiver who punched teammates at practice and wanted a trade out of town. However, his performance the last few weeks makes us wonder if Bad Steve Smith is once again starting to rear his ugly head. Whether it be frustration over his own performance or the team’s record, Smith once again seemed more interested in getting into wrestling matches with cornerbacks than catching the targets sent his way. Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner perhaps saw how Smith responded to the physical style of Corey Webster and Dunta Robinson in weeks prior, and effectively goaded him into foolish mistakes. With 1:46 left in the first half, Sherman jabbed Smith at the line, and the receiver responded by charging into him while a nearby pass fell incomplete. At the 8:08 mark of the third quarter, Smith simply grabbed Sherman at the line and wrestled him to the ground, incurring a holding penalty. All these extracurricular activities could explain Smith’s two drops and four catches on 13 targets. With his -2.2 penalty grade on the season, teams know that they can easily instigate Smith into immature mistakes. You’d think a 12-year veteran would have learned better by now.
Kuechly’s Active Day
Luke Kuechly’s 191 tackles at Boston College indicates the type of player he is, relentless in pursuit and always running toward the football. That was the type of game he had on Sunday, for better and for worse. With Jon Beason out with an injury, Kuechly played every snap and compiled a game-high 12 tackles with three defensive stops. He notched his first QB pressure of the season at the beginning of the second quarter, when he redirected Wilson into Greg Hardy’s waiting arms for the sack. His hustle earned him his first career interception off a Marshawn Lynch bobble in the third quarter. And his tackle for loss at the 11:21 mark of the fourth quarter, when he knifed through the line to cut Robert Turbin down at the knees, was a thing of beauty. However, Kuechly’s aggressiveness also got him into trouble at times. He was too easily knocked off his feet by offensive linemen entering the second level, and he left Zach Miller wide open for a 30-yard gain when he bit hard on a play action fake in the third quarter. If Kuechly wants to cut out the inconsistencies, he needs to learn how to hustle judiciously.
Games Notes
— In a microcosm of the game for the Panthers' offense, Clemons batted down Newton’s pass with 2:03 left in the third quarter, despite the Seahawks having only 10 defenders on the field.
— After averaging 14.5 missed tackles per game over the first four weeks, the Panthers' defense had only seven in this game. That’s especially commendable considering they were facing Lynch, the league-leader with 26 broken tackles.
— For the third game this season, Greg Olsen (+1.6) received the highest grade of any Carolina offensive player. Don’t ask us why the Panthers only targeted him three times.
Game Ball
In a game where the Seahawks grounded the Panthers’ passing attack, this goes to Richard Sherman (+3.5). He frustrated Smith, halted a Panther drive at the end of the first half with a tackle, killed another drive with a strip fumble at the start of the fourth, and allowed only one catch for 7 yards. Along with Browner, Sherman gives the Seahawks two CBs graded in the Top 10 this season.
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