Hi everyone and welcome to the second matchup in the NFC divisional round where the Seattle Seahawks and the Carolina Panthers will be facing each other in the playoffs for the second straight year. The winner will face the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship, who defeated Green Bay in OT last night in extraordinary fashion. When they met in Week 6 at CenturyLink Field, Carolina proved their status as legitimate Super Bowl contenders, beating Seattle 27-23, but make no mistake about it, this will be a different encounter all together and Seattle are a different team since that loss. Their offensive line has improved tremendously and have allowed Russell Wilson to have more time in the pocket, their secondary unit is locked in and Marshawn Lynch is back and ready to go. Pete Carroll’s team has won seven games from the last eight and despite the fact that luck played a big part against the Vikings, this team is ready to go.  The truth of the matter is that they better be ready, because the Panthers, rested and prepared, finished the season 15-1, are healthy, and ready to prove they can go all the way. Their only key player who hasn’t been around is cornerback Charles Tillman who tore his ACL in the regular season finale against Tampa. That hole was filled by Cortland Finnegan as he came out of retirement and is now a starter. Additionally, Jonathan Stewart returns after missing the final three games of the regular season and Ted Ginn Jr. is officially active.  But who are we kidding? This is about the Quarterbacks and there might not be a better duo that could take over the Manning-Brady rivalry era than Russell Wilson and Cam Newton. Interestingly enough, they represent their teams’ characteristics and how similar they are on the field. My favorite stat being how Wilson and Newton are the first two players in NFL history to reach 300 passing and 100 rushing yards in the same game.  So, get ready for a Super Bowl encounter disguised as a Divisional playoff game: Two teams who love to impose themselves on their opponent from the first minute, two QB’s cut from the same thread, two leading corners who never shy away from a challenge and two coaches who leave it all on the field.  Feel free to contact me with predictions and comments or send me a tweet @lmechegaray.
Seattle travel to Charlotte for a mouthwatering divisional round clash. Follow all the action live with Luis Miguel Echegaray