Seahawks honor Super Bowl championship team with 37-27 win over Panthers

The Seattle Seahawks (2-1) made sure the special day for the 2013 championship team wouldn’t be spoiled. It was a slow start for Seattle, who trailed 13-9 at one point against the Carolina Panthers (0-3), but Geno Smith and company were able to move the ball at will in the 2nd half and turn those early field goals into touchdowns. The Seahawks outscored Carolina 25-14 after intermission, going up by as much as 17 points before allowing a garbage-time TD in the team’s 37-27 victory.

Smith threw for just shy of 300 yards and had a touchdown pass to rookie sensation Jake Bobo. Kenneth Walker had well over 100 yards of offense and a couple of touchdowns, and DK Metcalf battled through injury and had over 100 receiving yards. The Seahawks defense gave up some big plays to Andy Dalton, who threw for 361 yards on a comical 58 attempts, but Carolina was one-dimensional and couldn’t run the ball at all. Seattle’s pass coverage had some strong moments in between the uglier ones, and the pass rush was relentless getting at Dalton.

The crowd was also awesome, forcing the Panthers into a whopping eight false starts. It was reminiscent of the 2005 win over the New York Giants, who jumped 11 times.

The only bad news? A lot of injuries. A lot. Of. Injuries.

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1st Quarter

The Seahawks got the ball first for the third straight week, but unlike the last two weeks they failed to get points. Two pressures on three plays led to a punt. Andy Dalton got crunched on a 3rd down completion to Adam Thielen, and that hit by Julian Love resulted in a roughing penalty. Carolina got into the red zone only for Boye Mafe to knock them backwards with an 11-yard sack. Then a hold on Tommy Tremble led to 3rd and 26. Adam Thielen caught a quick screen and Eddy Pineiro booted one through the uprights to put Carolina on the board.

Seattle benefited from an iffy face mask call on Justin Houston, which gave them a free 15 on a Ken Walker run. A big pass to DK Metcalf set them up in Carolina territory, but a 3rd and 1 direct snap to Walker was snuffed. On 4th and 1 at Carolina’s 29, Pete Carroll went for it and Walker just about got it. Iffy spot, really bizarre measurement! Seattle would have to settle for a field goal, which Jason Myers converted from 43.

Carolina had another drive destroyed by a sack, this time courtesy of Jarran Reed and friends on a blitz.

2nd Quarter

Seattle got the ball back and it only took a few plays to get into Carolina’s red zone, with Geno hitting DK Metcalf deep down the field on a beautiful throw. Evan Brown wiped out a Zach Charbonnet run to the 3 by committing a holding penalty. A sack by Brian Burns backed them up, so Myers had to kick another field goal to give the Seahawks the lead.

Andy Dalton got the ball back and the Panthers went three-and-out swiftly. The Seahawks started at their own 39 and it became the Ken Walker show. Two runs and two very successful plays, including a 36-yard scamper off a sick cut to the outside. Unfortunately the drive stalled out again and Seattle settled for 3 again.

The Panthers finally sustained a drive into Seattle territory, off the back of a nifty 15-yard run by Miles Sanders. On 3rd and 10 from the 47, Dalton found a wide open DJ Chark on a busted coverage for a 47-yard touchdown.

Geno nearly threw a pick on 1st down, got sacked on 2nd down, then actually picked on 3rd down. He was looking for Jaxon Smith-Njigba and found the linebacker Deion Jones instead, setting up Carolina at the 28. Carolina false started and were behind the sticks from the start, and the Seahawks defense held firm. Eddy Pineiro made another field goal.

Geno responded with a 20-yard throw to Metcalf, and then a 22-yard catch-and-run by DK to put the Seahawks in the red zone. Three straight incomplete passes ensued, resulting in another field goal attempt for Myers to close the gap to 1.

3rd Quarter

The Panthers went three-and-out to start the half, so a good start for the defense. Again the Seahawks were able to move the ball effectively down the field, but pressure from Justin Houston forced a 3rd and 4 incomplete pass by Geno. Jason Myers put one through from 39 to give Seattle the lead.

DJ Chark made a ridiculous catch along the sidelines for 28 yards on Mike Jackson, which was doubly bad because Pete Carroll threw the challenge flag and lost. The Panthers were in field goal range but Pineiro missed wide right from 55.

The Seahawks were backed up after a blindside block penalty on DK Metcalf, who went too far on a Ken Walker run. No problem because on 1st and 21, Geno found Walker wide open for 36 yards deep into Carolina territory. Noah Fant was open in the middle of the field to set up the first goal-to-go for either team in the game. Two Walker runs got the Seahawks to the 1. The third one scored the Seahawks’ first TD.

Devon Witherspoon thought he had a 3rd down stop but was flagged for a very debatable pass interference. The next 3rd down was heaved down the field for Adam Thielen, who beat Artie Burns for a big conversion. Thielen was open on a shallow crosser and got to the 1-yard line to end the quarter.

4th Quarter

Miles Sanders scored his first touchdown as a Panther to open the 4th, cutting the lead back down to 2.

Two throws to tight ends yielded first down plays by Colby Parkinson and Noah Fant. The Fant catch put the Seahawks in Carolina territory once again. Then it was the Zach Charbonnet show on three consecutive carries, including an extra few yards because of a stupid body slam penalty by Deion Jones. Ken Walker came in and finished things off with a 7-yard score.

Carolina really was in must-score territory and things were going well up until a comical sequence of back-to-back false starts put them at 3rd and 14. Then after Dalton threw incomplete, Frank Reich opted to punt and then the Panthers false started for an EIGHTH time in the game.

After a Seahawks three-and-out, Carolina had one more chance and did pretty much nothing with it. Dalton had a 4th and 2 conversion to Miles Sanders negated by an illegal shift, and then Jarran Reed sacked Dalton to force the turnover on downs.

The Seahawks went into bully ball mode and Zach Charbonnet made this poor Panthers defender almost slide into the locker room. Then it was Jake Bobo time for his first NFL touchdown! He tapped the toes, and got his first score. Then Geno and Lockett did this ridiculousness.

Dalton got a garbage-time drive going and Adam Thielen scored a deserved TD for his efforts.

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Scoring Summary

1st Quarter: Eddy Pineiro 47-yard field goal - CAR 3, SEA 0

1st Quarter: Jason Myers 43-yard field goal - CAR 3 SEA 3

2nd Quarter: Jason Myers 35-yard field goal - CAR 3, SEA 6

2nd Quarter: Jason Myers 33-yard field goal - CAR 3, SEA 9

2nd Quarter: DJ Chark 47-yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton - CAR 10, SEA 9

2nd Quarter: Eddy Pineiro 43-yard field goal - CAR 13, SEA 9

2nd Quarter: Jason Myers 37-yard field goal - CAR 13, SEA 12

3rd Quarter: Jason Myers 39-yard field goal - CAR 13, SEA 15

3rd Quarter: Kenneth Walker III 1-yard touchdown run - CAR 13, SEA 22

4th Quarter: Miles Sanders 1-yard touchdown run - CAR 20, SEA 22

4th Quarter: Kenneth Walker III 7-yard touchdown run - CAR 20, SEA 29

4th Quarter: Jake Bobo 5-yard touchdown pass from Geno Smith - CAR 20, SEA 37

4th Quarter: Adam Thielen 15-yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton - CAR 27, SEA 37

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Seahawks Injury Report

LG Damien Lewis went to the locker room in the 2nd quarter with a hand injury. He returned later in the game.

CB Tre Brown went to the medical tent in the 2nd quarter with a possible head injury. He was ruled out with a concussion.

EDGE Darrell Taylor limped off the field in the 2nd quarter with a leg injury and did not return.

G Anthony Bradford had an ankle injury on Kenneth Walker’s 3rd quarter touchdown run. He returned in the 4th quarter.

DE Dre’Mont Jones left the game in the 2nd half with a hip injury and did not return.

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Next Week’s Opponent

The Seahawks go back on the road one more time before the bye week, taking on the New York Giants (1-2) on ‘Monday Night Football’ on October 2 at 5:15 pm on ABC/ESPN/ESPN+.