The most anticipated Divisional Round playoff game this week is between the Seattle Seahawks and the top seeded Carolina Panthers. The two teams will meet on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium. The game will begin at 1:05 P.M. ET.
The Seattle Seahawks will be trying to advance to their third straight Super Bowl, but they will need to win a couple of games in order to do so.
Last week, the two time defending NFC Champions received a gift from Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh who missed an easy game winning field goal in the Wildcard game between the two teams.
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This week, the Seahawks will need a little more than luck if they hope to defeat the Panthers. The Panthers and Seahawks met for the fourth time in the last three seasons, and the Panthers finally ended their losing streak against the Seahawks with a 27-23 victory in Seattle. The game is considered to be one of the most exciting games of the year.
The Newton to Olsen connection could play a big factor in this game.
In that game, Carolina led for most of the game, but Seattle rallied and took the lead late in the game. Cam Newton got the ball back in the final minutes of the game and found tight end Greg Olson for the game winning touchdown.
This time around, Carolina will be trying to avoid being in a close game with Seattle because the team seems to find a way to pull off improbably wins when the score is close, like they did last week.
Cam Newton had an MVP caliber season, and looked better in the second half of the season than he did in the first. Newton also took a lot of punishment during the season but he has had a little time to rest and heal and will be expected to lead his team to victory on Sunday afternoon.
Like Newton, Russell Wilson also had a slow start to the year and turned things around in the second half of the season. Seattle is expected to have Marshawn Lynch back in the lineup this week, which is good news for Seattle because Lynch is a workhorse that excels when the lights are brightest.
Despite all the injuries Seattle had on the defensive side of the ball this season, they were able to finish the season with the best points against average in the league, and held their opponents to 17.1 points per game.
The Seattle defense will be tested by Carolina’s offense which averaged 31.3 points per game, which was the most by any team this season.
Seahawks vs Panthers Betting Lines
BetOnline.ag has the Panthers favored to win this game by 2.5 points. The over/under is 44 points. Check out our full BetOnline.ag review to learn more about our top rated sportsbook.
My Pick
The Seahawks are peaking at the right time and will likely give the Panthers a run for their money. Unfortunately, Seattle has struggled on the road over the years, which is why I think Carolina will cover the spread and advance to the NFC Championship Game.
Play: Panthers -2.5 @ BetOnline.ag
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