The Seattle Seahawks remain atop the NFC West after their 27-10 win over the Carolina Panthers on December 28 at Bank of America Stadium. Moreover, the victory marked the team’s sixth straight win and was another standout performance by the defense.
Seattle’s defensive unit made life challenging for Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, who went 14-for-24 on his pass attempts for 54 passing yards and one interception. Moreover, the Seahawks’ defense held Carolina to 139 total yards.
After the Panthers’ loss, Young spoke about the opposing defense and credited them for frustrating Carolina’s offense.
“Credit to them,” Young told reporters postgame. “They made adjustments. They came out with a game plan [and] did a better job of executing it than we did. And that’s a league, you’re going to go up against different schemes.
“People are going to make adjustments. And we didn’t do a good enough job of being able to react to that and counter it. We’ll watch the film, we’ll learn and grow from it. But that’s the NFL, so levelheaded as you are in all situations.”
Dave Canales Also Talks Seahawks Defense
Moreover, Panthers head coach Dave Canales also credited the Seahawks defense for being the difference-makers in this matchup. The Panthers’ defense kept Seattle’s offense quiet in the first half, but in the second half, Sam Darnold and Co. exploded for 24 points.
“Got to give a lot of credit to the Seahawks, coming out here, playing tough all day, coming up with some big conversions throughout the day,” Canales said while speaking to the media after the loss. “And then, from there, I just got to talk about our defense and the amazing game they played to give us opportunities offensively. We didn’t do anything with those.
“A part of that was just the Seahawks, having a great scheme, playing together, making things difficult on us. But we made mistakes. We made mistakes on the offensive side. And when you play a good team like this, you have to be able to take advantage. You got to do things right. And, that’s what we have to look at in front of us there.”
The Seahawks Suffered Injuries to Key Players
During the contest, the Seahawks lost Rashid Shaheed and Cody White. While speaking to the media after the win over the Panthers, Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald confirmed a concussion for Shaheed, while he noted that White’s groin injury will probably need some time (h/t Curtis Crabtree of FOX 13 Seattle).
Seattle, who sit at 13-3, still have plenty to play for heading into Week 18 against the San Francisco 49ers. With the 49ers and Los Angeles Rams still to play in Week 17, the Seahawks may still need a victory to lock up the division, depending on how those games unfold.
As a result, losing Shaheed and White isn’t ideal, given that Seattle still have so much to play for heading into the final game of the 2025 NFL regular season. Nonetheless, with the playoffs on the horizon, it would be ideal for the team to rest them even if their loss is felt for next week.
Bryce Young Doesn’t Hold Back on Seahawks After Panthers Loss