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Carolina Panthers: Fighting the Seattle ‘Curse’

By John Woodcock

January 10, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) meets with Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) following the 31-17 victory in the 2014 NFC Divisional playoff football game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
January 10, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) meets with Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) following the 31-17 victory in the 2014 NFC Divisional playoff football game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Carolina Panthers face their most common playoff foe when the Seahawks come to town. The Panthers have never beaten the Seahawks in the playoffs.

How many playoff pushes have the Carolina Panthers made? Let’s see, there was the first in 1996. Then there were the Fox playoff years of 2003, 2005, and then 2008. Then we have had the Rivera run of 2013, 2014, and now 2015. That’s seven playoff runs.

If you look at the list opponents in those runs, who get Dallas Cowboys (2), Green Bay Packers, St. Louis (soon to be Los Angeles) Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, Chicago Bears, Seattle Seahawks (3), Arizona Cardinals (2), and the San Francisco 49ers.

One thing that is ticklish about looking back at that list is that the 2014 Panthers had to face the Cardinals and Seahawks, and the most likely path to the Super Bowl this year is once again through the Seahawks and Cardinals in reverse order.

Of the seven runs the Panthers have made into the NFC Playoffs, three now involve the Seahawks. That would be losses in the 2005 NFC Championship Game (No RBs left game) and last year’s NFC Divisional Playoff against many of the same Seahawks who will take the field on Sunday. The third game has not been played yet and is much anticipated.

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Of all the teams the Panthers have played in the playoffs, they hold the worst record (0-2) against Seattle. They have not played the Seahawks at home either game. A Seahawks victory over the Panthers in the playoffs has meant two Super Bowl losses for the Seahawks in the years that those happened.

So what’s different about this year? One could point at the health of Marshawn Lynch as a potential sticking point. There is no better weapon against a speedy defense than a running back who can bull through the middle.

Another difference is the team composition. The Panthers in 2005 had no running backs after the first quarter despite being a team that still relied on running the ball. The Panthers last year had a patch work offensive line that ultimately could not stand the pressure. This year the weakness for the Panthers is injuries in the secondary, which can be covered up by a good pass rush and adjustments.

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Cam Newton is a year older and a year better behind a better offensive line. Jury still out on Jonathan Stewart, but he and Ted Ginn should be ready to go. Unlike the Panthers, the Seahawks keep Richard Sherman on one side of the field, so that the Panthers can try to manage matchups.

The final thing that the Panthers need is the crowd. They need to make that advantage felt. That is the one thing that they absolutely get that the Seahawks do not. Many observers see this as a mirror image game between two similar teams, but Seattle does not get the crowd.

So there is a good chance to break the Seattle ‘curse’ if the Panthers come out and play their way on Sunday. It was going to be Arizona and Seattle last year, but that is where things stopped for the Panthers. Let’s get the Seahawks this time to move forward.

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