The Carolina Panthers will host the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, September 8 for a Week 1 NFL battle. Kickoff for this matchup is set for 1pm ET from Bank Of America Stadium.
- When:
Sun., Sept. 8th, 2013 @ 1:00pm ET
- Where:
Bank of America Stadium, Char., NC
- Who’s Favored?
SEA by 3.5 ~ 44.5 o/u @ BetOnline
- More Info:
The Seahawks received plenty of attention and favoritism from analysts during the offseason, piggybacking off an impressive run in the NFC West and on into the playoffs. The surprise of last season was the success of rookie quarterback Russell Wilson. He gained the starting job in preseason and never looked back.
Wilson, combined with a solid offense and stout defense, is expected to carry that momentum into the 2013 season and make a run at the Super Bowl. It starts with a Carolina team looking to get to that next level and reach the postseason.
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is in his third year in the league and Carolina fans want him to play like a No.1 overall selection. Newton has been good in his first two years, but the Panthers need him to be better than good to reach the postseason in a very tough NFC South division.
The Carolina defense will be tested by a tough run game behind Marshawn Lynch for Seattle, and some play action from Wilson up over the top. Wilson might be one of the best at creating open passes with his feet, and making plays outside of the pocket.
Newton is much bigger than Wilson, and will need to use that size to his advantage against arguably the best defense in the NFL.
Turnovers might be the key in this one, particularly on the side of Carolina. The Panthers can’t afford to turn the ball over to Seattle and let them get points off of those.