One of these teams has represented the NFC in each of the last three Super Bowls, but it will be up to the Seattle Seahawks to keep that streak alive. The Carolina Panthers nearly saved their season with a miraculous second half comeback in Oakland, only to have the lead evaporate late and watch the game turn into another frustrating loss that has become all too familiar. Though not mathematically eliminated from postseason contention, the Panthers are all but done heading into their Week 13 contest in Seattle.
Kickoff for this regular season Week 13 game is set for Sunday, December 4, 2016, at 8:30 p.m. ET at CenturyLink Field.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Carolina Panthers +7
Seattle Seahawks -7
Over/Under 44
Odds Analysis
With the exception of Seattle’s playoff win two seasons ago, the past six meetings have all been decided by a single score. That likely won’t change this time around, despite Carolina’s precarious playoff situation. So the 7-point spread is inviting for Panthers’ backers. The teams cashed the over in the past three meetings with the total between 40 and 41.5 in those games. The over/under has been adjusted, but I don’t see the clubs reaching the opening 44. That number could easily fall before kickoff given the state of the teams’ offenses.
Injury Report
Gino Gradkowski – Returned from an injury to start at center in place of Ryan Kalil and had to exit the Oakland game with a knee injury. The move forced several players to play out of position and although the line held up well, there were some missed assignments that forced negative plays with the game still in the balance.
Luke Willson – Exited last game with a knee injury and the backup will be missed in Seattle’s two-tight end formations. Willson is an excellent blocker in the run game and should he miss some time the attack could suffer. He’ll also be missed when the team goes to max protection schemes, which could happen more often after Russel Wilson was sacked six times last week.
Matchup to Watch
It’s difficult enough to play the Seahawks with an offensive line that has all its regulars. It becomes nearly impossible when trying to attack them with a patchwork group. But that’s what the Panthers are faced with heading into Sunday’s contest. Carolina has been without left tackle Michael Oher since Week 4 and Kalil has missed three of the past four games with a shoulder injury. Gradkowski, who started in Kalil’s place against Oakland, went down with a knee injury, and Daryl Williams, who moved into a starting spot when Oher was felled, also left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury.
There is plenty of uncertainty surrounding the line and now the group has to focus on stopping the onslaught of the Seahawks. Seattle likes to stunt on the line and has an assortment of blitz packages, which could create problems for a line that hasn’t worked together and has several players out of position. Seattle has given up more yards than usual, but they keep opponents out of the end zone and get after the quarterback as well as any team in the league. The Seahawks give up the fewest points per game and their 31 sacks are the fourth-most in the league, and they come from a variety of players as seven defenders have multiple sacks led by Cliff Avril’s 10.
Free ATS Pick
After a rough outing in Tampa Bay, the sky isn’t falling and the Seahawks will be just fine. After giving up two first quarter touchdowns, the defense settled down and the secondary, playing without Earl Thomas and Deshawn Shead held the Bucs scoreless the rest of the way. It was plenty enough to get a victory, however the offense failed to show up. It was such a bad game you almost have to excuse it as a clunker simply because the Seahawks aren’t that bad and the Buccaneers aren’t that good.
As they always do, expect the Seahawks to make adjustments and have more success in their downfield passing game. Wilson threw for just 151 yards and was picked twice while pressured constantly and sacked six times. They got away from their game plan by falling into an early two-touchdown deficit, but they didn’t need to start launching the ball. The defense is good enough and the offense needs to realize that an early hole isn’t insurmountable. Seattle gets a token of revenge after losing twice to Carolina last season, including a defeat in the Divisional Round playoff game. But the Panthers keep it close because rivalry games are usually that way.
NFL Odds: Seahawks 22, Panthers 17
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