Seahawks vs Panthers: 5 reasons the Seahawks will win

Worried about the Seattle Seahawks losing to the undefeated Carolina Panthers this Sunday to drop to 2-4 on the season?

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I’m not, and here are five reasons why Seahawks vs Panthers will go the Seahawks way…..

1. HISTORY

It’s kind of like the sun setting in the West, or Kim Kardashian finding a way to stay in the news, or the way my dogs greet me whenever I come home, even if I’ve only been gone for 5 minutes; it’s a given. You can count on it. No matter what you might do to stop it, it’s GOING to happen. The Seahawks will beat the Panthers on Sunday, because that’s what they do.

OK, to be fair…. Carolina has won two of the nine meetings between these two teams. But in the NFL, they have a word for winning seven out of nine.

Domination.

January 10, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril (56) celebrates after sacking Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) during the second half in the 2014 NFC Divisional playoff football game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The only two wins for the Panthers in this series came in 2007 and 2000. A lifetime ago in football time. They’ve played five times over the last five years, a bizarre anomaly for two teams who don’t share a division. The games are typically close, but they’ve also typically been played in Carolina. The last two times the Seahawks got to host, however, they won by nearly identical scores; 31-14 in 2010 and 31-17 in the playoff game here in January.

More specifically, Ron Rivera and Cam Newton are both 0-4 against the Seahawks. And Newton had the audacity to say he didn’t think the Clink was any louder than other NFL stadiums he’s played in. OK Cam, we’ll see.

2. SEAHAWKS DB’s vs. PANTHERS WR’s

Carolina is notorious for their inability to provide Newton with dynamic weapons. His best receiver has been his tight end, Greg Olsen, and he’s once again leading the team in receiving with just 17 catches for 243 yards. Things seemed to change a year ago when WR Kelvin Benjamin fell to them in the draft, and he had an outstanding rookie year. But Benjamin tore his ACL in training camp this year, and similarly-sized 2015 draftee Devin Funchess has only 3 catches as he’s been unable to stay healthy. In fact, the Panthers second leading receiver is journeyman Ted Ginn Jr., with all of 12 catches to his credit.

It’s a shame, really, because Newton has made incremental progress as a passer in each of his five seasons. But without a bevy of weapons at his disposal, the Panthers just aren’t much of a downfield threat.

The Seahawks secondary looked bad at times last week, but against a Cincinnati team loaded with talent at every offensive skill position. Despite that, they held up well over all. This position matchup is a mismatch in the Seahawks favor this week.

Next: Rushing advantages, both ways