After a big win over the Denver Broncos and a well-deserved week of rest, the Carolina Panthers will head out west to shoot for a second straight victory. And waiting for them will be, perhaps, their greatest non-NFC South rival in the Seattle Seahawks.
Here are six things to know about the Week 14 matchup.
Rivals no more?
In what was one of the NFL’s fiercest out-of-division matchups in recent memory, the Panthers and Seahawks locked up nine times between 2012 and 2019. And for the former, the latter served as a roadblock during much of that hotly-contested rivalry.
That span saw both teams head into battle with elite talents at the quarterback position. But, times have changed—as Sunday will be the first time since 2010 where the Panthers and Seahawks meet without one of Cam Newton or Russell Wilson under center.
Newton and Wilson saw one another in eight of those nine games, with Wilson’s Seahawks getting the better of Newton’s Panthers six times. They also split a pair of postseason matchups—one in the 2014 campaign and the other a year later in the 2015 campaign.
It’s doubtful, but we’ll see if Sam Darnold and Geno Smith can bring a similar energy to this weekend’s clash.
A bit lopsided
While the Panthers and Seahawks certainly share a unique and competitive history, the overall record tells a bit of a different story. Of their 14 matchups, Carolina has come away with wins in just four outings.
But, at least the Panthers can always say they drew first blood. Their first showdown in 2000 saw the Panthers chalk up a 26-3 win behind 332 yards and three touchdowns from quarterback Steve Beuerlein.
So, does Darnold have a little Beuerlin magic in him this week?
Ben and Geno
Remember when Eli Manning had his consecutive games played streak of 210 snapped in 2017? Yeah, the man who made that decision was Ben McAdoo, and he did it with Smith.
The eventual loss to the then Oakland Raiders became a bit of an infamous moment for the former New York Giants head coach. And perhaps it was one of the final straws for that tenure, as McAdoo was fired directly after.
Regardless, the two will see one another again—as the offensive coordinator for the Panthers and the MVP candidate for the Seahawks. (Bet you didn’t think you’d read that sentence five years ago.)
Life after the Big Apple
Perhaps the most intriguing storyline is the post-New York reclamation projects—albeit to differing degrees—in Darnold and Smith. Both quarterbacks were drafted to be the future of the Jets and both flamed out before receiving a contract extension from the team.
Smith was selected in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft, and Darnold with the third overall pick in 2018. Smith, in particular, has completely revived his career after winning a training camp battle this offseason following Wilson’s departure. Darnold, who had a nice start in Week 12, is hoping to achieve at least some of that success to close out 2022.
Rookie tackles galore!
It is not every day that a group of rookie tackles this talented all get to see the same field on the same day. But that’s what we’re in for with three studs sharing the gridiron at Lumen Field.
Left tackles Ikem Ekwonu and Charles Cross and right tackle Abraham Lucas have been some of the brightest first-year players the NFL has to offer. And luckily for both franchises, they seemed to have hit on a tough position to tackle.
It will be interesting to see which rookie makes the first mistake in this smash-mouth battle. But given their track records, it could very well be none of them.
Home field advantage
There’s good news and bad news for Carolina on this road trip.
The bad news is that the Panthers are 0-5 as the away team this season. As for the good news, the once prolific home field advantage in Seattle has waned—as the Seahawks are a modest 3-2 in their own confines.
While it remains a tad loud over at Lumen Field, the Panthers won’t be facing the Seahawks of old that the franchise was used to seeing. Nonetheless, they’ll certainly have to earn their first road win this Sunday.
