Mychal
Kendricks Jersey , with the Seattle Seahawks confirmed for a 5:15 PM PT
game at the Dallas Cowboys next Saturday night on wild card weekend. If Seattle
wins, depending on how the Philadelphia Eagles-Chicago Bears game ends, we could
see the Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams the following Saturday night, same time,
same network (FOX). Should the Seahawks win but end up playing the New Orleans
Saints, it¡¯ll be Sunday at 1:40 PM PT to wrap up divisional weekend. If Seattle
loses? Well the playoffs just go on without them, I¡¯m afraid.Here are the games
and start times from the wild card round all the way through Super Bowl 53 in
Atlanta.Wild CardSaturday, January 5th#6 Indianapolis Colts at #3 Houston Texans
(1:35 PM PT, ESPN/ABC)#5 Seattle Seahawks at #4 Dallas Cowboys (5:15 PM PT,
FOX)Sunday, January 6th#5 Los Angeles Chargers at #4 Baltimore Ravens (10:05 AM
PT, CBS)#6 Philadelphia Eagles at #3 Chicago Bears (1:40 PM PT, NBC)Divisional
RoundSaturday, January 12thLowest remaining seed at #1 Kansas City Chiefs (1:35
PM PT, NBC)Highest remaining seed at #2 Los Angeles Rams (5:15 PM PT,
FOX)Sunday, January 13thHighest remaining seed at #2 New England Patriots (10:05
AM PT, CBS)Lowest remaining seed at #1 New Orleans Saints (1:40 PM PT,
FOX)Conference Championship Sunday, January 20thNFC Championship Game - 12:05 PM
PT, FOXAFC Championship Game - 3:40 PM PT, CBSSuper Bowl 53 (Mercedes Benz
Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia)Sunday, February 3rd NFC vs. AFC - 3:30 PM PT, CBS
One of the NFL¡¯s sneaky best rivalries will resume on Sunday following a year
hiatus, when the Seattle Seahawks travel to Carolina to take on the Panthers in
(another) huge game. The Seahawks, having defeated the Packers 10 days ago, will
attempt to take down their second consecutive NFC wildcard contender.Carolina is
coming off a hellish two weeks. In Week 10, the Panthers were blown out on
Thursday Night Football, allowing 52 points to a red-hot Steelers team. They
followed that up with a crushing loss in Detroit against the Lions, when a
failed two point conversion attempt sealed a hideous loss. Offensive and
Defensive PrimersCarolina began the 2018 season with new coordinators on both
sides of the ball. Norv Turner arrived to replace Mike Shula after five seasons,
while Steve Wilks was the latest Panthers DC to get a head coaching job
elsewhere, meaning it was Eric Washington¡¯s turn in the big chair. While
Turner¡¯s arrival meant a near total refresh on offense, Washington¡ªlike the
coordinators before him¡ªis running Ron Rivera¡¯s long established defense. As my
former boss Danny Kelly pointed out in his terrific article on Carolina¡¯s
fun-as-hell offense earlier this month, a big part of Turner¡¯s (surprising)
success has come in simplifying the game for the former MVP he has at the helm.
Cam Newton¡¯s average intended air yards is 7.4 per attempt, 9th lowest among
qualifying passers¡ªafter leading the league in average depth of target in
previous years. As a result, his completion percentage is much higher than ever
before¡ªit currently sits at 68.4%, dunking on Newton¡¯s previous career high of
61.7%. Instead of forcing a passer with streaky accuracy to throw to receivers
who can¡¯t separate, Newton has been surrounded with dynamic, twitchy and
versatile weapons, and he¡¯s thriving. Though Turner¡¯s background is in the Air
Coryell offense, he might as well be a young, hot-shot coordinator from a
Division II school the way he¡¯s calling plays in 2018. Motion and jet sweeps are
commonplace in the Panthers¡¯ offense, and he¡¯s utilizing his Swiss army
knives¡ªChristian McCaffrey, Curtis Samuel and D.J. Moore¡ªas well as you could¡¯ve
asked. On
defense
Steve
Largent Color Rush Jersey , Rivera relies on zone defense more than any
team in the NFL, after they led the league last season, running variations of
zone on 72.5% of defensive plays.Carolina is similar to Seattle in that they
depend on their front-seven to handle business around the line of scrimmage,
while the defensive backs sit over the top and stop any chance of explosive
plays. Leaning on a four-man rush the majority of the time, linebackers Luke
Kuechly and Thomas Davis are freed up to roam sideline-to-sideline cleaning up
everything, or carrying backs and tight ends downfield into the deeper zones.
Numbers that Matter81.5: The Seahawks¡¯ offense is not without its faults. They
commit to the run to an often ridiculous amount, and restrict their own
quarterback, who is one of the 5-8 best at his position in the world. They lack
imagination and have repeatedly failed to maximize versatile skill sets.
However, one area where they cannot be criticized in 2018, is inside the red
zone. Seattle¡¯s been one of the league¡¯s best red zone offenses under Brian
Schottenheimer, scoring touchdowns on 70.97% of their trips inside their
opponent¡¯s 20. Last week, in a massive win over Green Bay, they were 3/3 inside
the red zone. The Packers were an advantageous matchup for the Seahawks because
they allow the most red zone possessions on the road in the league. Seattle¡¯s
red zone offense will see another good matchup this week. The Panthers are
allowing touchdowns on 81.5% (22/27) of opponent¡¯s red zone possessions. Only
the dreadful Buccaneers defense, which is allowing touchdowns 88.9% of the time,
rank worse in the league. Carolina mitigates this issue by allowing just 2.7 red
zone possessions per game, which is the third lowest mark in the NFL. In what
should be a tight game, the Seahawks need to capitalize on every opportunity.
Though their chances inside the red zone may be limited, if this season has been
any indication, they¡¯ll make the most of the possessions they do get inside the
Panthers¡¯ 20.100: K.J. Wright was again sidelined in Week 11, and it led to a
highly curious personnel decision by Seattle. Rather than switch Barkevious
Mingo back to the weakside, where he filled in so well previously, the Seahawks
went to Austin Calitro. While Mingo has the athletic ability to drop into zones
and move in space with backs and tight ends, Calitro is best suited around the
line of scrimmage, moving horizontally and cleaning up runs. The result wasn¡¯t
great, as Aaron Rodgers found Calitro in coverage against the uber-athletic
Aaron Jones for an all-too-easy 24-yard score. Calitro was caught flat-footed,
and Jones simply ran past him.With Wright set to miss another game, Pete Carroll
has said they would continue to roll with Calitro alongside Bobby Wagner. As
tricky of a matchup as Jones is for Calitro, this week will be even more
difficult. McCaffrey is as versatile as it gets out of the backfield, and he¡¯s
in a groove, exceeding 100 yards from scrimmage in three straight games.
Seattle, meanwhile, has allowed 100+ scrimmage yards to seven running backs this
year, and in three consecutive games. Calitro is completely overmatched against
a player with McCaffrey¡¯s skill set, and if Carroll does indeed give him the
majority of snaps next to Wagner, they will be burned by it. How the Seahawks go
about slowing down McCaffrey will be a massive part of whether the Seattle
leaves Carolina with a win or loss. 69.2: The Seahawks¡¯ early down defense will
be paramount to their chances against the Panthers. Carolina moves the ball by
converting early or putting themselves in favorable positions on third down. On
first and second down, they are sixth in success rate, and in turn, are the
tenth most efficient offense on third and short, converting 69.2% of the time.
When the Panthers aren¡¯t able to put themselves in favorable positions and have
to try and convert third and longs, they suffer; through 11 weeks, they are 29th
in converting third and longs. Seattle, meanwhile, are the 23rd ranked defense
by success rate on first and second down. The Seahawks¡¯ below average early down
defense, against a Carolina offense that lives and dies by their early down
offense, isn¡¯t a good matchup for Seattle. If the Seahawks want to force the
Panthers into uncomfortable spots and away from what they do
well
Patrick
Kerney Color Rush Jersey , winning on early downs will be crucial.
Matchups to WatchDoug Baldwin versus Captain Munnerlyn: Prior to Week 11,
Baldwin told local radio he¡¯s completely over the knee issues that were plaguing
him¡ªwhich came just days after he played 98% of the offense¡¯s snaps¡ªthen
followed it up with a season-high 10 targets and a touchdown against the
Packers. On Tuesday, Baldwin suffered a groin injury in practice and will be a
game-time decision, though to hear Carroll describe it, he should be expected to
play. Baldwin, presumably healthy¡ªand definitely shattering the ankles of
defensive backs again¡ª will see an extremely favorable matchup in Week 12.
Munnerlyn has been Carolina¡¯s weak spot recently, and he is hurting his team.
Over the last month, opposing slot receivers have totaled 22 catches, 278 yards
and three touchdowns against the Panthers. Those receivers haven¡¯t been a
murderers¡¯ row either: Willie Snead, Adam Humphries, JuJu Smith-Schuster and
Bruce Ellington have taken turns roasting Carolina. Smith-Schuster is a budding
star in the league, but Baldwin is the best of that bunch by a large margin.
Should Baldwin not be able to go on Sunday, it would be Tyler Lockett facing
Munnerlyn on the majority of his snaps. At the pace Lockett is playing at, that
is not a downgrade by any means.Seahawks DL versus Carolina OL: Seattle¡¯s
defensive line has completely blown expectations out of the water in 2018. They
rank 13th in adjusted sack rate per Football Outsiders, and have the ninth
highest pressure rate in the NFL. Both Jarran Reed and Frank Clark have taken
large steps forward to lead the group. The Panthers and the Seahawks mirror one
another in so many ways, and up front is no different. Carolina¡¯s offensive line
is performing better than expectations¡ªcurrently ranking ninth in adjusted sack
rate on offense. Taylor Moton has become a complete stud for the Panthers at
right tackle, while the best player among the group, Trai Turner, is back to his
previous form, which sees him burying the opposition on a weekly basis. Though
Newton¡¯s accuracy comes and goes, if he¡¯s allowed to stand in the pocket and
deliver passes on time, he¡¯ll kill a defense. Inside the pocket, he¡¯s the
seventh ranked passer, and Norv Turner¡¯s offense has him getting the ball out
quicker than in previous years. Seattle¡¯s defensive line has to continue their
strong play and disrupt Newton¡¯s timing. Forcing him to make throws on the run,
or tuck the ball and run, will be key to slowing down a versatile
offense.Opponent to KnowD.J. Moore, WR: The best wide receiver prospect in the
2018 NFL Draft has broken out recently, after a slow start which saw him catch
just two passes in the first month of the season. As Carolina¡¯s offense
transformed into a modern, steamrolling machine, Moore began to find his
footing. Since Week 5, the rookie is first in YAC per reception (8.89 average),
first in yards after contact per reception (5.5) and fourth in missed tackles
per reception (.21). Moore was a refined route runner as a prospect, but the
start of his NFL career has seen him play as a receiver capable of winning
contested catches downfield, or creating yards on his own after short
completions. With Devin Funchess set to miss Week 12 with an injury, Moore will
again be relied upon as the Panthers¡¯ top pass-catching threat. His ability to
either posterize an unsuspecting defensive back, or work back to the ball with
lightning-quick feet, makes him a difficult proposition for either Tre Flowers
or Shaquill Griffin, both of whom struggle with locating the football. Though
the Seahawks have a favorable matchup of their own in Baldwin against Munnerlyn,
Moore will do his part to keep Carolina¡¯s offense rolling. At 6-4, the Panthers
are Seattle¡¯s biggest competition in the wildcard race, and a win in Carolina
would not only see the Seahawks make up the game they need, but get an
invaluable tiebreaker too.