Seahawks versus Panthers, An the NFL Rivalry?

Since Russell Wilson  came to town in 2012, the Seattle Seahawks have built a football team around a stifling defense, a run heavy offense. The Seahawks approach to roster construction and game planning philosophy is a fusion of new age and decidedly old school. The team's players have a certain swagger to them, that many commentators consider irreverent to the sport. They have backed up this confident attitude with results, making the playoffs four straight years, with two trips to the Super Bowl. It is not a stretch to say the Seahawks have been the best team in the NFC since Pete Carroll arrived.

During this stretch of Seahawks dominance the team that most resembles the Seahawks in the NFC is the Carolina Panthers. The resemblance is on both side of the ball. The Panthers have a strong defense and a run first offense with a young mobile quarterback.They have also been good, making the playoffs three out of four years.

Seattle's defense has three of the best secondary defenders in the NFL (Sherman, Thomas, Chancellor). Carolina features Josh Norman, who is an elite shutdown corner. The Seahawks pass defenders are aided by a strong pass rush, which is anchored by Michael Bennett, one of the best defensive linemen. The Panthers defensive line is formidable as well. Their best pass rusher is Kawann Short, who tallied 11 sacks in the 2015 regular season. Each team has one of the best linebacking corps in the entire NFL. It is a constant and never ending debate over which teams middle linebacker, Bobby Wagner (Seattle) or Luke Kuechly (Carolina), is the best in the NFL.

On the offensive side of the ball the teams both focus on the run. The Seahawks have Marshawn "Beast Mode" Lynch. I think, when healthy, he is one of the best backs in the NFL. The Panthers have Jonathan Stewart, who is no slouch. Their running games are bolstered by young talented quarterbacks capable of tucking the ball and running themselves. This relatively rare trait in the NFL forces opponents defenses to be on constant lookout, which opens up the previously mentioned runningbacks for more yards. Prior to the huge breakout by "Angry" Doug Baldwin, neither team feature a household name at receiver. The Panthers' wide receiver are probably worse, but neither group is world beating.

The Seahawks and the Panthers don't play in the same division, but through the quirks of NFL scheduling they have faced off five times in the last four season (including once in the playoffs) and are set to play again this Sunday in the NFC Divisional Playoff round. In fact Russell Wilson has played a game against the Panthers every year of his career. These matchups have been low scoring hard fought affairs. The Seahawks have won 4 out of five with a total score of 95 to 72. If you exclude the 2014 playoffs when the Panthers collapsed in the second half the scores are 64-55. Nine total points has separate them in four regular season games. Like I said these have been close games.

This scheduling has led to a mini rivalry between the two teams. Fans in Seattle are looking forward to the Sunday playoff game. They view it When the Panthers finally did best the Seahawks this year, with a dramatic fourth quarter come from behind win, it helped them believe that they truly belonged with the league's best. The familiarity between the teams and the similarity of play makes these games great. They have the drama, energy, and big plays that you want in a professional football game.

I hope the NFL sees what they have created and foster this rivalry. They should try and schedule the Panthers and Seahawks every year. If the teams focus on their defenses, which seems likely given the coaches, the games should be low scoring and close. And as long Wilson and Newton are still leading their teams the games should have drama.  The Seahawks vs Panthers has the potential to become a must watch game.

Sources: Pro Football Reference