Did you enjoy your little break from Seattle Seahawks football? It’s back in your life, and there’s a lot on the line in Week 17.
The current NFC West leaders and No. 1 seed in the conference have a big matchup against the surprising Carolina Panthers, who have a chance to win the NFC South later today if they shock Seattle and the slumping Tampa Bay Buccaneers fall to the Miami Dolphins. Seattle still has way more pressure to win this game given the possibility of losing the division lead by the end
of Week 17, whereas the Panthers cannot be eliminated with a loss. The Seahawks can’t clinch anything by end of Sunday, but if all goes right they could be NFC West champions by Monday night.
It’s time for some game predictions! Let’s first review last week’s horribly inaccurate predictions from the Los Angeles Rams game.
Bold prediction: Cooper Kupp catches the game’s only touchdown pass
He not only didn’t catch a touchdown, there were a lot of touchdowns caught and Kupp lost a fumble. At least Kupp got into the end zone on a two-point conversion.
Seahawks offense prediction: No turnovers for Sam Darnold
Welp. At least he only had half as many turnovers against the Rams as he did in the first matchup.
Seahawks defense prediction: They get to Matthew Stafford this time
Nope. No sacks over two games.
Rams prediction: Kyren Williams ends Seattle’s 100-yard streak
Nope.
Game prediction: Sigh. It’s a sweep.
Nope! But, yay!
Bold prediction: Kenneth Walker gets the rushing yards needed to hit 1,000
K9 is almost there. Just 121 yards separates him from his second 1,000-yard season, which is a good achievement for him both for not missing any games this year and having to share so much time with Zach Charbonnet. His 100-yard game against the LA Rams was only his second 100-yard rushing performance all year, and he hasn’t gone above 120 in a game since he was a rookie.
To reach 121, Walker will need some explosives (like his 55-yard score against the Rams) and a more consistent workload. The Panthers rank in the bottom-half of the league in yards per carry allowed and run defense DVOA, so I believe opportunities will be there for Walker and this inconsistent rushing attack. Carolina’s defensive line is anchored by the outstanding Derrick Brown, but the depth along this front is not great as a whole, so I expect the Seahawks offensive line to not look overwhelmed on this occasion. Besides, K9 started his collegiate career at Wake Forest, so this is a homecoming of sorts!
The onus is also on Klint Kubiak to stop this random rotation like Walker will break in half if he has 20 carries in a game. Give him the damn ball if he has a hot hand.
Seahawks offense prediction: Sam Darnold cracks 300 yards
While it feels like he’s had more of these games, Darnold has only eclipsed 300 yards passing twice: the loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the win against the Washington Commanders. He was fairly close to 300 versus the LA Rams last week, but otherwise he’s been in the 200s while not throwing in particularly high volume.
Carolina’s defense is opportunistic but hardly outstanding. Their pass rush is at the bottom of the league in terms of pressure rate and sacks, which ought to be an opportunity for Darnold to calmly find his targets throughout the afternoon. Believe it or not, however, the Panthers haven’t allowed a 300-yard passer all season, so this would be a major feat if Darnold pulls this off.
Seahawks defense prediction: Nick Emmanwori forces a turnover in his return home
This is a home game for E-Man, who went to college at the University of South Carolina but was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. Emmanwori has seemingly had highlight plays every week, and what better way to make a case for Defensive Rookie of the Year than to come back to your home region and get a turnover? Whether it’s picking off Bryce Young or forcing or recovering a fumble, I think Emmanwori makes his presence felt loudly in Charlotte.
The last time Emmanwori faced an NFC South team—literally the only time this season, actually—he blocked a field goal (okay, not a turnover) and intercepted a pass. I can’t wait for the sequel.
Panthers prediction: Mike Jackson gets some measure of revenge
Mike Jackson Sr. is obviously still hurting a bit from the Seahawks trading him to Carolina for “a bag of chips,” which turned out to be linebacker Michael Barrett, who’s not on an NFL roster. Jackson was a serviceable starter for the Seahawks whose job eventually went to Tre Brown, who’s now with the New York Jets. Jackson has carved out a role for himself in Carolina as a starting corner opposite Jaycee Horn, and he’s enjoying a career season with three interceptions and 17 passes defensed. His biggest play to date was a pick-six of Matthew Stafford in Carolina’s upset of the LA Rams.
Am I predicting Sam Darnold clears 300 yards but also throws an interception to get the Seahawks’ customary weekly turnover(s) out of the way? Yes. And it’ll go to a former Seahawk just for good measure.
Game prediction: The Seahawks turn back a determined Panthers team
This is not going to be a walk in the park. Carolina is a pretty inconsistent team but only the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots dominated them in completely non-competitive outings. It’s been a minute since Seattle completely blew away an opponent in the first half, so I suspect this will be closely matched through at least the third quarter before the Seahawks pull away late. I’ll go with a 30-20 behind two Sam Darnold touchdown passes, 100+ yards from Jaxon Smith-Njigba, a customary Zach Charbonnet red zone score, and a couple of turnovers off of Bryce Young to seal the deal.
Don’t be surprised if the Panthers have a halftime lead and hit some explosive plays with Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker at receiver. If the Seahawks can clamp down on Carolina’s run game and force the Panthers into pure dropback mode, though? Disregard what I said, it’ll likely be a blowout. Either way, it’ll be Seattle’s seventh road win, tying a franchise record for the regular season.
Time to make your predictions in the comments!
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