Seahawks at Panthers: Joseph Person goes inside the matchup

A look at the matchups to watch in Sunday’s NFC divisional round playoff game between the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks:

When the Panthers have the ball

Offensive coordinator Mike Shula will try to establish the running game early with Jonathan Stewart, who missed the final three regular-season games with a sprained foot. Stewart ran 20 times for 78 yards in the Week 6 win at Seattle, which had the league’s best rushing defense (81.5 ypg) and hasn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 27 games.

The Seahawks have struggled to cover tight ends all season. Greg Olsen had seven catches for 131 yards and the winning TD against Seattle on Oct. 18.

Wideout Ted Ginn Jr. only had one catch for 18 yards in the first meeting, but getting Ginn back from a knee injury gives the Panthers a deep threat that should open up the middle of the field for Olsen. All that said, Cam Newton’s ability to extend drives with his arm and legs will be the difference.

ADVANTAGE: Panthers.

Coaching

Pete Carroll this season became the eighth active coach and 43rd all-time to reach 100 combined wins (regular season and playoffs). He has a 9-5 postseason record, and would have another win if not for the play-calling bungle at the end of last year’s Super Bowl loss to New England.

Carroll has taken the Seahawks to two straight Super Bowls and has them in position for a run at a third after surviving a slow start marked by Kam Chancellor’s holdout.

Ron Rivera is the only coach to win three consecutive NFC South titles (no team had won two in a row), but the Panthers have yet to advance past the divisional round under his watch.

Rivera likely is the coach of the year after becoming just the seventh coach to oversee a 15-1 season. He allowed his players to be themselves (Josh Norman comes to mind) and play loose, and there’s no reason to believe the Panthers will be tight Sunday.

ADVANTAGE: Even.

When the Seahawks have the ball

Seattle is ready to move on from Marshawn Lynch after the mercurial running back skipped last weekend’s trip to Minneapolis. Whether Lynch plays Sunday will be a pregame decision. But he has never done much against the Panthers, whose physical linebackers match up well with him.

The same should be true for Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis against Christine Michael, a big, bruising back like Lynch. More problematic for the Panthers could be slot receiver Doug Baldwin, whose 15 touchdowns (including playoffs) lead the league.

Nickel Cortland Finnegan, one of two recently acquired cornerbacks, will be tasked with trying to stick with a quick and shifty Baldwin. But the key will be Carolina’s ability to contain Russell Wilson, who showed last weekend that he only needs one improv play to win a game.

ADVANTAGE: Panthers.

Special teams

Seattle’s Tyler Lockett became the second rookie (Washington’s Tony Green, 1978) to score on a punt return and kickoff return during his first three games. Lockett broke a franchise record with 136 yards in punt returns in a Week 17 mauling of Arizona.

Seattle’s Steven Hauschka has never missed a postseason kick (14-for-14 on field-goal attempts, 20-for-20 on extra-point tries). Punter Jon Ryan broke his nose on a face-plant in the NFC wild-card game, but he finished the game and will play Sunday.

Ginn has been a dependable punt returner, but he hasn’t broken off many long runbacks. Graham Gano had five kicks blocked during the regular season and nearly had one blocked in last year’s playoff loss at Seattle when Kam Chancellor twice vaulted over the Carolina line during a field-goal attempt.

ADVANTAGE: Seahawks.

Bottom line

Newton has been the best player in the league all season. Even facing what has been the best defense in the league the past several years, Newton will do what he does best – extend plays, extend drives and extend Carolina’s season.

PICK: Panthers 27, Seahawks 24.

This story was originally published January 16, 2016 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Seahawks at Panthers: Joseph Person goes inside the matchup."