NFC Divisional: Carolina vs Seattle Prediction
NFL Divisional round playoff betting action sees the Seattle Seahawks taking on the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Jan. 10 at CenturyLink Field in Washington. Stay tuned to Cappers Picks as we provide free NFL handicapping tips all season long.
NFL Odds
Who: Carolina Panthers (8-8-1) at Seattle Seahawks (12-4)
Date: Saturday, January 10, 2014
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Venue: CenturyLink Field
City: Seattle, Washington
NFL O/U Betting Lines: 39.5
NFL Point Spread: Seahawks -10.5
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The Seahawks look to take the first step in becoming the first back-to-back Super Bowl champions in 10 years with a win on Saturday. The team split its first six games, but they’ve bounced back in a big way, earning the top seed in the NFC.
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Through the first seven weeks of the season, the Seahawks ranked 19th in scoring defense, allowing 23.5 points on 324.5 yards per game.
Down the stretch, they looked like their old selves, limiting opponents to three touchdowns and a total of 39 points over the final six games of the regular season, allowing only one of those six opponents to score more than seven points.
Now the Seahawks look to win their eighth consecutive postseason game at home against a Panthers team that has been able to muster only one offensive touchdown in the past three meetings.
The Panthers have also enjoyed a resurgence on defense, allowing 11.8 points and 238.2 yards per game over their last five.
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Free Panthers vs. Seahawks Pick:
These teams have met three times over the last three seasons, and none of those games yielded much in the way of offense. Each game took place in Carolina, with a final scores of 16-12 in 2012, 12-7 in 2013, and 13-9 in 2014.
Each game, of course, played well under the posted total.
Now the team’s meet in the postseason with the lowest posted total yet for a matchup involving Russell Wilson. The venue change figures to play into Seattle’s favor.
If Carolina could muster only an average of 9.3 points against this Seahawks defense on its home field, then the trip out to CenturyLink will be a daunting one.
As for the Seattle offense, they’ve had trouble moving the ball against this sneaky good Carolina defense. While the Panthers couldn’t put together a year’s worth of solid defensive games, they did seem to find some answers down the stretch, and that should mean another solid performance in this one.
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A key for both defenses will be limiting the rushing lanes for both quarterbacks.
NFL Betting Trends:
The under is 14-6 in the Panthers’ last 20 games against NFC opponents, and it is 4-1 in the last five meetings between these teams.
The under is 16-5 in the Panthers’ last 21 games following a win, and it is 4-1 in the Seahawks’ last five games following a win.
The under is 5-1 in the Seahawks’ last six games overall, and it is 9-4 in the Seahawks’ last 13 home games.
The play: Under 39.5
Russell Wilson led all quarterbacks with 53.1 rushing yards per game, while Cam Newton ranked third at 38.5 yards per game.
Check out our Updated NFL Playoff Odds.
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