NFC Divisional Round 2016 Game Preview: Carolina Panthers Face the Seattle Seahawks
The Carolina Panthers come into the playoffs as the number 1 team in the division, and after earning a playoff-bye over the weekend, they're fresh and ready to do battle against the surging Seattle Seahawks for the right to advance to the Conference Championships.
The Seahawks are here because they deserved it; the sixth seeded team defeated the Vikings by a hair in their wild card affair, earning them the right to face a team in Carolina that almost went undefeated in the regular season.
This matchup is a familiar ground for both teams, particularly when they met earlier in the regular season. The Panthers won that one, 27-23, but it still won't deny the fact that the Seahawks have their rival's number in the past. Carolina is in some sort of revenge after Seattle eliminated them in the 2014 playoffs.
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Seattle will need to play the perfect game to at least have a chance against Carolina. But then again, only a few gave them a fighting chance against the Vikings in the wild card. While they haven't faced a team that has the same defensive intensity as they have, all that will change against the Panthers.
There also is a brewing rivalry between these two teams. They met in the same divisional round last season where Seattle emerged victorious. Back in 2012 and 2013, the Panthers also lost crucial games against the Seahawks. It is quite interesting to see how the almost-perfect Panthers will play this one out especially if they realize that Seattle has been winning against them the past several years.
But competing on the road is never good news for Seattle because they've been awfully playing outside their home field. In 12 road playoff games, they only managed to win three, the last one being in 2012 against the Redskins.
Game info
Date: Sunday, Jan. 17
Time: 1:05 p.m. ET
Venue: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC
TV: FOX
Live Stream: NFL Game Pass
