The Seahawks have a lot of cushion to make the playoffs, but they need this win badly. Suddenly this game looks much tougher than it did two weeks ago.
After their embarrassing performance against the Rams, the Seahawks truly need a win. More than a win, they need a strong performance. The Carolina Panthers seem tailor-made for a road win for Seattle. They’re just 5-8 and are on a five-game losing streak. They lost starting QB Cam Newton in the second game and fired head coach Ron Rivera two weeks ago, although that didn’t turn the team around. Despite that, Seattle faces two big obstacles to their much-needed win.
Obstacle one will stand across the field from them. They may have lost their starting quarterback and their head coach, but the Panthers still have Christian McCaffrey. He’s only one of the league’s best all-around backs (if not THE best). He has more rushing yards than Chris Carson and more receiving yards than DK Metcalf. So yeah, he’s dangerous. In his only game against the Hawks, which was just last year, he had 237 yards and two scores. That doesn’t bode well for this game.
It’s worth mentioning, though, that K.J. Wright missed that contest. The good news is that Wright will be on the field in Charlotte. The bad news is, neither Jadeveon Clowney nor Mychal Hendricks will be. It’s quite possible that Shaquill Griffin will have to sit this one out as well. Despite having their best defensive lineman and best corner watching from the sidelines, the Seahawks still have to contain McCaffrey. Clearly, that will not be easy.
The second big challenge for the Hawks is on their side of the ball. Russell Wilson has to bounce back to his earlier MVP-worthy form. I have every confidence he will, but he still has to do it on the field. Over the course of his career, he’s only had one five-game stretch with passer ratings below 100. He’s coming into this contest with four sub-100 ratings, so the odds are definitely in his favor to bounce back. Overall, Carolina’s defense isn’t great, but they’re still ranked sixth in fewest touchdown passes allowed and third in interceptions. DangeRuss has his work cut out for him.
Despite those two big challenges, I like how this game shapes up for the Seahawks. The injuries worry me, and McCaffrey worries me even more because of that. But I’m not worried about Russell Wilson at all. He shredded Carolina for 339 yards last year, his season’s best. I expect more of the same from him in this game, and a very big Seattle win.