Earlier this week, Twitter was abuzz over something Steve Beuerlein, the former NFL quarterback who is now an NFL analyst for CBS, said in advance of the NFC divisional playoff game between the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers.
The quote: “If Cam Newton plays within himself and plays his game, Seattle doesn’t have a chance.”
Now, Beuerlein is a former Panthers QB who led the league in passing yards while guiding Carolina in 1999, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he’d say something that was pro-Panthers and was complimentary of Carolina’s quarterback. But this quote naturally created a furor with Seahawks fans, who responded with mirth, vitriol and indignation.
Have you seen Seattle’s defense? You do know Newton’s record against the Seahawks, right? Those were the type of responses Beuerlein’s quote received from the Seattle faithful.
My immediate reaction was on similar lines. But then I got to thinking. While there’s no way in Hades I would count the Seahawks out under any circumstances — short of a team-wide case of food poisoning contracted the night before the game — is there at least a grain of truth behind Beuerlein’s statement?
It’s hard to argue with the season Newton had. He’s the ultimate dual-threat quarterback, capable of running around you with his 4.58 speed, running through you with his 6-foot-5, 245-pound frame, or throwing over you with his cannon of a right arm. With 35 touchdown passes and 10 touchdown runs, Newton accounted for more points than any other player in the NFL. He’s considered the frontrunner for the Most Valuable Player award, and in leading the Panthers to a league-best 15-1 record he deserves that designation.
Newton fancies himself as Superman, often pantomiming pulling his shirt open to reveal a red “S” on his chest when he scores touchdowns. But if Newton is Superman, then the Seahawks have been his Kryptonite.
Sunday’s game in Charlotte, N.C., is the sixth meeting between Seattle and Carolina in the past four seasons. Coaches and players from both teams joked during the week about how it feels like a division game, given the unusual frequency with which the NFC West’s Seahawks and the NFC South’s Panthers have encountered one another in recent years.
But what it means is that we have a reasonable sample of data to work with regarding how Newton has fared historically against Seattle. Here’s what Newton did in his previous five outings against the Seahawks:
n Oct. 7, 2012: Newton was 12-for-29 for 141 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 56.8. Seattle won 16-12 in Charlotte.
n Sept. 8, 2013: Newton was 16-for-23 for 125 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 97.2. Seattle won 12-7 in Charlotte.
n Oct. 26, 2014: Newton was 12-for-22 for 171 yards with no touchdowns and one interception, giving him a passer rating of 61.0. Seattle won 13-9 in Charlotte.
n Jan. 10, 2015: Newton was 23-for-36 for 246 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 79.2. Seattle won 31-17 in Seattle in the divisional playoffs.
n Oct. 18, 2015: Newton was 20-for-36 for 269 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 65.6. Carolina won 27-23 in Seattle.
In every game except the one in 2013 Newton had a worse passer rating against the Seahawks than he did for the season as a whole. He also never ran for more than 42 yards, scored only one touchdown, and was sacked 13 times — seven times by Seattle linebacker Bruce Irvin alone.
Newton may style himself as Superman, but those are Lex Luthor numbers if I’ve ever seen them.
Even in his lone victory over Seattle earlier this season, Newton was abysmal for more than three quarters, going 9-for-23 for 102 yards and two picks before doing a costume change to lead the Panthers on two 80-yard touchdown drives to complete a stunning comeback.
Newton was noticeably curt during his conference call with the Seattle media on Wednesday, starting out the call with a series of one-sentence answers before downplaying the significance of the victory in Seattle to Carolina’s 15-1 season.
“Lots of people didn’t even believe in us then,” Newton said. “They said it was a fluke, or what have you. We just have been starting fresh each and every week, understanding that if we play our game and trust coaching and do the things that we know we’re capable of doing, we can win any football game that we play in. This game is not going to be any different.”
Those may not have been the best words for Newton to use. He’s certainly going to want Sunday’s game to be different from his previous performances against the Seahawks.
Beuerlein is entitled to his opinion, and as a former NFL quarterback, his opinion is far more valid than mine. But history suggests to me his assessment only paws at the edges of the truth.
If Newton plays his game, the Seahawks don’t have a chance?
It’s more like if Newton doesn’t play his game, it’s the Panthers who don’t stand a chance.
Check out Nick Patterson’s Seattle Sidelines blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/seattlesidelines, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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