Here’s how the Seattle Seahawks grade out in their 30-27 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina:
OFFENSE
This was a special second half by Seattle’s offense, as the Seahawks gained 244 yards and scored on all four of their possessions. Once again, quarterback Russell Wilson was a magician, coming up with big-time plays — a 35-yard touchdown pass to David Moore on fourth down that tied the game late, then a 43-yard completion to Tyler Lockett that set up the game-winning field goal. But the real key was the play of the offensive line, which regularly picked up the blitz, giving Wilson time to throw.
Grade: A
DEFENSE
It was a real Jekyll-and-Hyde performance by Seattle’s defense. On the plus side, the Seahawks forced five fumbles and made some huge stops in the red zone to either turn the Panthers over or force field goals. On the negative side, Seattle allowed a season-high 476 yards, gave up explosive plays left and right and didn’t recover any of those fumbles. But a key stop on Carolina’s final possession, which forced a 52-yard field-goal try that sailed wide right, saved the game for Seattle.
Grade: C+
SPECIAL TEAMS
It was a pretty unremarkable game by Seattle’s special teams. Punter Michael Dickson had a short punt that set up a Carolina touchdown drive, then the Seahawks allowed a 32-yard kickoff return late in the first half that eventually led to a Panthers field goal. But it’s a good day for Seattle’s special teams when kicker Sebastian Janikowski boots a game-winning field goal as time expires, even if it was a 31-yard chip shot.
Grade: B
COACHING
For the most part, Seattle’s coaches got things right in this one. There were some small clock-management issues that forced the Seahawks to burn timeouts, and the defensive scheme between the 20s wasn’t ideal. But Seattle devised a method to deal with the Carolina blitz that caused problems early in the game, the Seahawks maintained a good run-pass balance despite playing from behind throughout, and Pete Carroll was successful with his lone challenge, which gave Lockett a touchdown.
Grade: B+
OVERALL
With this victory, Seattle is truly back in the thick of the playoff hunt. The Seahawks are one of four teams in the wild-card race tied at 6-5 with three playoff spots up for grabs (including the NFC East championship). And Seattle has an advantageous schedule, with four of its last five games at home, as well as three meetings with NFC West strugglers San Francisco and Arizona. The past two weeks couldn’t have played out any better for the Seahawks.
Grade: A-
– Nick Patterson, Herald writer
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