The Seattle Seahawks took down the Minnesota Vikings in a tough, cold Wild Card playoff game. There's no way they're coming out of that game at 100 percent health, and they are playing one of the toughest, most aggressive teams in the NFL in the Carolina Panthers in the Divisional Round.
It could be a rough day for the Seahawks, a team that thrives on its physicality. To make matters worse, the Panthers have the top seed in the NFC and enjoyed a nice bye week while the Seahawks were battling in Minnesota. They are well- rested and will host the Seahawks on Sunday.
Carolina not only has that going for it, it also knows it can beat the Seahawks. In Week 6, the Panthers traveled to Seattle, and won in one of the hardest stadiums to get a win in. Seattle held the lead for most of that game, but the Panthers rallied in the fourth quarter to steal the win. Cam Newton threw for 269 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, but he also put up 30 yards on the ground and a touchdown.
The Seahawks didn't play poorly, with 241 yards and a touchdown from Russell Wilson and 115 yards rushing as a team. But the Panthers held on for longer and outlasted the Seahawks, something that could be a major factor in Sunday's game.
As far as experts are concerned, the results are somewhat divided, though Carolina has the edge. Over at CBS Sports, six of the eight experts are picking the Panthers to win, while at ESPN, four of the 13 experts think the Seahawks will take it. That leaves nine experts picking Carolina with them. Here at SB Nation, five of the seven experts, along with the OddsShark computer, think the Panthers will win at home.
| Week 16 | Ryan Van Bibber | Stephen White | Joel Thorman | David Fucillo | Danny Kelly | Matt Ufford | PFT Commenter | OddsShark |
| SEA vs CAR | SEA | CAR | SEA | CAR | SEA | CAR | CAR | CAR |