Panthers

Carolina's first win streak of the season puts them one game out of first place in the NFC South.

The Seahawks eventually woke up, cutting Carolina's lead to 20-17 early in the third quarter. A play later, Sam Darnold hit Shi Smith for a touchdown, then they got a defensive stop, and then another long drive, this one ending with a Hubbard touchdown run and a 17-0 lead in the second quarter. The Panthers built a big early lead, and put a long touchdown drive on the board when they needed it most in the fourth quarter, and left Seattle with a win as rare as it was satisfying, beating the Seahawks 30-24 to improve to 5-8.

The Seahawks host the Panthers as they look to keep pace in the NFC playoff picture.

The drive went 75 yards on 6 plays, taking 1:40 off the clock. The drive went 44 yards on 9 plays, taking 4:21 off the clock. The drive went 74 yards on 10 plays, taking 5:26 off the clock. The drive went 51 yards on 9 plays, taking 5:00 off the clock. The drive went 46 yards on 9 plays, taking 1:53 off the clock. The drive went 25 yards on 8 plays, taking 4:09 off the clock. The drive went 67 yards on 7 plays, taking 3:09 off the clock. The drive went 13 yards on 1 play, taking :05 off the clock. The drive went 43 yards on 13 plays, taking 7:55 off the clock. Pineiro's extra point attempt is good to extend the Panthers lead to 17-0 with 12:35 left in the second quarter. That being said, the Seahawks cannot overlook the Panthers. With five games left in the season, the Seattle Seahawks boast a 7-5 record and have played their way into a playoff spot if the season were to end today.

What are some quick thoughts to take from the Carolina Panthers' shock win at the Seattle Seahawks in Week 14 of the 2022 season?

They had things all their own way in all phases right out of the gate. They came out of the blocks swinging during a perfect first quarter that had them 17-0 up at one stage. As it turned out, the Panthers dug deep and overcame significant adversity to attain a shock win on their travels.

SportsLine's simulation model just revealed its NFL picks, predictions, and best bets for Carolina Panthers vs. Seattle Seahawks.

[San Francisco 49ers](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/SF/san-francisco-49ers/) by one game in the NFC West race. [Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Panthers vs. Here are several [NFL betting lines](https://www.sportsline.com/nfl/odds) for Seahawks vs. Panthers](https://www.sportsline.com/nfl/game-forecast/NFL_20221211_CAR@SEA/) and just locked in its picks and NFL predictions. Panthers 10,000 times and the results are in. Seattle has a lot on the line in the final month of the regular season. [You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks](https://www.sportsline.com/insiders/seahawks-vs-panthers-odds-line-spread-proven-model-reveals-nfl-picks-predictions-for-week-14-2022/#ttag=12102022_agg_cbssports_picks_football_nfl_model_SeahawksPanthersAUTO). Seattle is favored by 3.5 points in the latest Seahawks vs. The model enters Week 14 of the 2022 NFL season on an incredible 156-112 run on top-rated NFL picks that dates back to the 2017 season. The Panthers are coming off a bye in Week 13, but beat the [Denver Broncos](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/DEN/denver-broncos/) 23-10 in their last outing. Panthers odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over/under is set at 44.5. [Sam Darnold](/nfl/players/2180320/sam-darnold/) and the [Carolina Panthers](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/CAR/carolina-panthers/) (4-8) hit the road to take on [Geno Smith](/nfl/players/1700358/geno-smith/) and the [Seattle Seahawks](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/SEA/seattle-seahawks/) (7-5) in a [NFL](/nfl/) Week 14 game on Sunday at Lumen Field.

The Carolina Panthers pulled off a win over the playoff-hopeful Seattle Seahawks, earning their first road victory of the season.

Carolina beat Seattle in Week 14 National Football League football game in QB Sam Darnold's second start of season. Chuba Hubbard ran well.

The Seahawks’ two-minute drive ended with a 12-yard Metcalf touchdown. The score came just before the two-minute warning. The bruising running back carried 21 times for a game-high 74 yards. Smith was intercepted in the second quarter by cornerback C.J. Carolina has scored 33 points in the first quarter this season, 10 of which came on Sunday. The Panthers’ defense forced two turnovers, held Seattle’s fifth-ranked offense two points under its season-scoring average and sacked or hit Smith eight times. The Panthers started fast in Seattle by playing physical man-to-man defense against Seahawks Pro Bowl receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Carolina converted three first downs on its opening drive and finished 6 for 13 on the critical down. The Panthers had the ball for nearly 20 more minutes than Seattle. The score came with seven minutes to play but essentially put Seattle away. Piñeiro nailed a 47-yard field goal (his ninth-straight make dating back to Week 8) and gave the Panthers an opening-drive 3-0 lead. The victory is Wilks’ fourth of the season after taking over for former head coach Matt Rhule.

Carolina Panthers absolutely needed a victory on Sunday and it came against the Seattle Seahawks. The Panthers defeated the Seahawks, 30-24.

[Seattle failed to pick up](https://www.foxnews.com/category/sports/nfl/seattle-seahawks) a critical victory in their fight to win the NFC West. Their win and the Bucs’ loss inched them closer to the top. DK Metcalf had five catches for 71 yards and a touchdown. Tyler Lockett added five catches for 60 yards and a touchdown. Marquise Goodwin had five catches for 95 yards and a touchdown. He was untouched and managed to salvage a few yards to inch Carolina closer to a touchdown.

Terrace Marshall Jr.'s catch was so unbelievable, the Seattle Seahawks challenged it. They probably couldn't fathom that the Carolina Panthers receiver ...

If you're a pass catcher, your arms and hands are for catching and your legs and feet are for running. But Carolina Panthers receiver Terrace Marshall Jr.

His quarterback would then go on to use his legs as well—but in a more conventional way—as Sam Darnold scrambled for a 26-yard gain up to the Seattle 24-yard line. . . Marshall Jr.’s grab (we can still call it that right?) resulted in an 18-yard gain—one Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll would understandably challenge.

He moved into the big chair from the position of secondary coach after the owner fired head coach Matt Rhule and defensive coordinator Phil Snow after five ...

[received his release](https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/12/10/baker-mayfield-amazing-debut-rams-raiders) and was off to the Rams. This hasn’t been like Indianapolis, where Jeff Saturday got to swoop in and start a better quarterback, whom the owner had benched in the first place. But if this is how he handles the worst of it, wouldn’t he be worth checking out during the good times? The next year normally turns out to be just as bad, or nearly as bad as the one that caused the firing in the first place. Despite all this, his team beat the Buccaneers, the Falcons in a rematch, the Broncos and Seahawks, a team that entered the week in one of the NFC’s final playoff seeds. It’s not like Jacksonville, where Urban Meyer left and everyone could finally stop checking to see if he was in the room before laughing. The circumstances he had to operate in were poor enough that he confidently joined the Brian Flores lawsuit, alleging that the Cardinals Moore, [pulled his helmet off in the end zone](https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/10/30/dj-moore-nfl-change-celebration-penalties) and knocked the kicker out of range on the extra point because of a penalty, then the Panthers lost in overtime. Usually, coaches get fired in the middle of the season because the situation cannot improve. Despite being the worst team in the NFL that year, the Cardinals still had the No. Walker, Jacob Eason, Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, the last of whom he was lucky to have. That’s not exactly how it went for Panthers interim coach Steve Wilks, who, after Sunday’s 30–24 win over the Seahawks (and the 49ers’ Brock Purdy–inspired blowout of the Buccaneers), has Carolina sitting at 5–8 with a 22% chance of reaching the playoffs, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Carolina beat Seattle in a Week 14 National Football League football game. How did Sam Darnold, Chuba Hubbard, defense do? Team grades.

On the follow-up drive, the Panthers held the Seahawks to just 7 yards and forced a punt. Horn returned the ball 31 yards and put the Panthers in the red zone, leading to a 13-yard touchdown toss from Darnold to Smith. Smith came out firing in the second half, hitting Goodwin for a 14-yard gain on the second play of the third quarter. Igewebuike then had a 35-yard return to start the third quarter that led to a field goal. Darnold was sacked by Seahawks linebacker Darrell Taylor on third down, and Carolina was forced to punt for the first time in the game. The passing touchdown was the first of Smith’s young career and put the Panthers up, 10-0, to start the game. The offense was forced to settle for a field goal. The Panthers were patient in the passing game to start the matchup. That turned out to be smart strategy, as the Panthers rode the running game down the field on a dominant drive. On the game-clinching possession, Hubbard and Blackshear combined for 66 rushing yards and a touchdown, as the Panthers pulled ahead of the Seahawks by 10 points. While starter Foreman — dealing with a foot injury — put together a couple of early runs, backup Hubbard did a nice job of asserting himself on the third drive of the game, picking up 11 rushing yards and a touchdown on three carries. [Steve Wilks](https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/article269309527.html#storylink=mainstage_card) had bet on — came up with a huge stop to force Seattle’s offense off the field immediately after the failed drive.

Six takeaways for a shameful Week 14 loss for the Seattle Seahawks against the inferior Carolina Panthers.

Next up on the schedule is a short week to prepare for the defensive juggernaut 49ers, who are visiting on Thursday night. Perhaps he earned himself the job in the process. Shame. Over the last month, Smith has developed a turnover problem. This is a team that they’re far superior to as far as the critical positions go and a team that they needed to beat to hang onto an NFC Playoff spot. [took a 10-0 lead early](https://seahawkswire.usatoday.com/2022/12/11/panthers-punch-first-take-10-0-lead-over-seahawks-in-first-quarter/) after picking off Geno Smith’s first pass of the game and never looked back.

Barely one minute had ticked off the game clock of this 5-2 win over the Florida Panthers when Jared McCann jumped on an offensive zone turnover, backhanded the ...

An example of that was the play Oliver Bjorkstrand made just to keep the puck inside Florida’s blueline just ahead of Gourde feeding Burakovsky for the goal. There was no immediate postgame word on Schultz, who left the game and did not return for the final minutes. It wasn’t long after that Lomberg took exception to a Schultz high stick and earned a match penalty for slamming him defenselessly into the boards. “I think it was just a recognition that that’s something we’ve been struggling with,” Beniers said. And they kept on coming from there; the rink tipping so one-sidedly in the Kraken’s direction that frustrated Panthers coach Paul Maurice called timeout and ripped into his team, arms flailing and cameras rolling, like a father that had caught his teenagers raiding the liquor cabinet. Then, with this 5-2 win pretty much sealed in the third, Beniers saw frustrated Panthers forward Ryan Lomberg slam teammate Justin Schultz into the boards from behind, prompting the centerman to turn back and go after him in what became his first NHL tussle.

Following his team's upset win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 14, the Carolina Panthers interim head coach was asked if the triumph was an emotional one.

And with everything that we’ve gone through, they’ve gone through with the different coaching changes, getting rid of players, the organization trying to tank it—all those different things. But all the credit goes to those players and how they go out there and perform and finish. Wilks went on to say it was, and credited that feel to the continuous and admirable effort from his players.

Carolina Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks should get permanent head coaching job. He demonstrated again in 30-24 win over Seattle.

But to me, Wilks looks like the right guy for the job. Wilks later clarified that it was some people “outside the building” who believed the Panthers might be trying to tank, but not him and not the Panthers brass. And that’s the one thing that was so disappointing when he didn’t get his complete chance in Arizona. “As I stated at the beginning, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Wilks said. He’s coached here before, as an assistant and a defensive coordinator during one of the Panthers’ best runs. Wilks obviously didn’t want to play quarterback Baker Mayfield — who Rhule started for the first five games of the season — and eventually released him. “Coaches do a tremendous job in game-planning and putting these guys in position, but all the credit goes to those players, and how they go out there and perform and finish. He went straight into the 1980s for this ground-and-pound offense. With everything that we’ve gone through — different coaching changes, getting rid of players, or the organization trying to tank it, all these different things — to see how those guys respond and come out and play today. As Howie Long said on the Fox Sports postgame show: “It’s not a sexy formula, but it certainly is productive.” The players like and respect him. Despite the Panthers trading away their best player in Christian McCaffrey only 10 days after Wilks took over, Carolina has gotten better instead of worse.

Head Coach Pete Carroll; QB Geno Smith; Wide Receiver Tyler Lockett; Strong Safety Ryan Neal; Wide Receiver Marquise Goodwin; Free Safety Quandre Diggs ...

We've got the guys and we've shown the world that we've got it, but we've got to put it together at times that it matters. You have to whoop your man in front of you and make the tackle. When you come into the game knowing that's how they're going to play, you just have to strap up and be ready to go four quarters. At the end of the day, we have to fix this, and we've got to bring it, and we know that, and everybody knows that. We have to be able to win out if we want to be able to put ourselves in the best position possible. You could see on that last play when he caught the ball, Jaycee was able to hit him, and he bounced off of him, was able to make a move and go score. I don't expect to come out here and be perfect, but I do have a standard, and I don't think I played to that standard quite today. The very first play you had something in the flat and you go deeper to Tyler. They got a great look at it, and Bill looked at it really to make sure that it was the correct call and they could call it with confidence, and they did. He was really hopeful and optimistic and all of that and trying to bounce around during the week, but when it got down to it, often high ankles feel okay until you really have to call on it to push and it's not there. We tried everything that we had to get it stopped, and we were not able to stop them. We had a few chances, and we weren't able to get it together enough to get it done.

The Panthers ran 46 times for 223 yards in Sunday's win. · The offense held possession for 39:16, the highest in a Panthers' four-quarter game since Week 16 of ...

[Jaycee Horn](/team/players-roster/jaycee-horn/)had an interception, his team-best third of the season, to go with six tackles and two pass deflections, while [Shaq Thompson](/team/players-roster/shaq-thompson/)had a team-high nine tackles and a half-sack. [Frankie Luvu](/team/players-roster/frankie-luvu/)made the most of his four tackles, posting a sack and two tackles for loss to go with a pass deflection. Since Week 7, Carolina has 237 rushing attempts (4th in NFL) and 1,082 rushing yards (5th in NFL).

After an emotional win at Seattle, the Panthers can now see evidence of the potential interim coach Steve Wilks has insisted they had.

Now, the Panthers have four games to make it matter even more, a chance to make the playoffs. "We talked about doing something that we haven't done all year, which is coming on the road, in a playoff environment, and winning a football game," Wilks said. I couldn't be more proud of this team." But the amount of stuff they had to overcome to get there made it more gratifying. And you know, I can go on and on with the different things, with players leaving, coaches leaving, whatever. A significant portion of that credit goes to Wilks, who had insisted to this team that they could, even when people pointed and laughed. That meant describing the fire alarm that went off the night before that win seven years ago. They did it in the kind of complementary fashion that has shown up at home (where they've won all three games under Wilks) but not on the road, not before this. Nothing about this season has made much sense, from the coaching change in October to the trade of Christian McCaffrey to the release of the former starting quarterback and team captain Baker Mayfield six days earlier. "Even if it's only us in the whole world, that's what all need." With all that stuff, this team is supposed to be thinking about next year. The Panthers keep talking about "playoff mentality," and now it looks real.

And if John Fox and Ron Rivera are watching from afar, they're probably blushing at the mentality Wilks has already established. Frankie Luvu and Jaycee Horn ...

He racked up four tackles (two for a loss), a pair of quarterback hits and was up in the backfield on a consistent basis. Plus, their 3-1 record in the division gives them an edge and plenty of hope down the stretch—one in which they have those Bucs for a Week 17 showdown. As of the time of this publication on Sunday, Dec. On offense, the Panthers pounded the rock with intent—racking up 46 rushing attempts and churning them into 223 yards and a pair of scores. Through three reclamation projects under center, two different flavors of offensive philosophies and one inconsistent defense—Carolina had no identity over the past two and a half seasons. But that long and torturous streak has finally ended, as the Panthers came out of Lumen Field with a [20-14 upset win](https://pantherswire.usatoday.com/lists/carolina-panthers-seattle-seahawks-game-recap-week-14/) over the host Seattle Seahawks.

Sam Darnold lanza para un touchdown, Chuba Hubbard y Raheem Blackshear tienen anotaciones por tierra y los Panthers de Carolina derrotan por 30-24 a los ...

Darnold y Carolina llegaron a estar arriba 17-0 y 20-7 aprovechándose de una torpe y poco entusiasta actuación de los Seahawks en la primera mitad. Hubbard, Blackshear y D'Onta Foreman fueron el trío líder que Seattle no pudo detener por tierra. En la segunda mitad, los Panthers simplemente corrieron entre la defensiva de Seattle y le dieron otro golpe a los Seahawks (7-6) que intentan ganar la División Oeste de la NFC.

Sam Darnold lanzó para un touchdown, Chuba Hubbard y Raheem Blackshear tuvieron TD por tierra, y los Panthers de Carolina se mantuvieron en medio de la ...

En el segundo cuarto, Smith pareció pensar que tenía un juego libre con los Panthers saltando fuera de juego, pero no se lanzó ninguna bandera y su pase arriesgado fue elegido por C.J. Los Seahawks tuvieron 46 yardas por tierra, su cuarto partido consecutivo por debajo de las 100 yardas. El primer pase de Smith en la primera jugada ofensiva de Seattle fue interceptado por Jaycee Horn. El TD de Blackshear coronó un drive donde Carolina corrió en ocho de las 10 jugadas y ganó 68 de sus 74 yardas en el suelo. Darnold fue 14 de 24 para 120 yardas de pase, pero no necesitó hacer nada especial por aire con el éxito en el suelo.Carolina también aprovechó una actuación inestable del QB de los Seahawks, Geno Smith. Darnold y Carolina construyeron ventajas de 17-0 y 20-7 para aprovechar una actuación descuidada y poco entusiasta en la primera mitad de los Seahawks.

Head Coach Steve Wilks; Quarterback Sam Darnold; Guard Austin Corbett; Running Back Chuba Hubbard; Center Bradely Bozeman; Linebacker Shaq Thompson; Running ...

(On what statement the Panthers made today) "It was our first win on the road in a hostile environment. (On the linebackers blitzing more frequently the past few weeks) "It's just a lot of trust in us. Is that what changed, having a clear picture of what the identity of this team, or what would you say? He was kind of in and he was going to make the tackle if I didn't throw it, so that was just a simple RPO. Sam, what went into -- you know, you guys were on the four yard line; you throw it four times. I think we had three sacks and I think two of them came late in the game. To have your two leaders on defense make that play and get the ball back, how big was that? You know, you talk about a momentum changer, particularly in a hostile environment here being on the road, so it was critical for us. STEVE WILKS: As I stated at the beginning, you know, I don't know what's going to happen, but for 13 weeks I said I was going to do it my way with players, coaches, and the mentality and the culture that I wanted to create. When you have the interim head coach tag, a lot of people talk about the players, the staff. Is this the kind of win now, two in a row, kind of get it rolling? STEVE WILKS: It's hard to win in the National Football League, regardless.

The Carolina Panthers put themselves back into serious contention for the NFC South in Week 14, topping the Seattle Seahawks to the tune of a 30-24 victory.

SUNRISE, Fla. - After losing 5-1 in their previous meeting last week in Seattle, the Kraken returned the favor with a 5-2 win over the Florida Panthers at ...

"I've been asked to penalty kill a lot, and I take a lot of pride in that and doing a good job with the guys. They really attacked us with their quickness and their speed, and we just didn't seem to have enough guys with the gas needed to play. We didn't move quick enough in our last two games to expect to win. "I know we have the winning quality in here," Kiersted said. We had pucks on our stick that we'd normally handle pretty easy that were a challenge for us." "We had a hard time moving the puck.

Steve Wilks has the Panthers poised to make noise down the stretch. Carolina bludgeoned the Seattle Seahawks, 30-24, on Sunday to earn their first road win ...

And you know, I can go on and on with the different things, with players leaving, coaches leaving, whatever. I couldn't be more proud of this team." Down the stretch, they ran the ball on 17 of their final 19 plays to close out the victory. "And these guys showed up." We were all going to fight for each other. Detroit (6-7), at Tampa Bay (6-7), at New Orleans (4-9).

Get a recap of the Carolina Panthers vs. Seattle Seahawks football game.

Blackshear’s TD capped a drive where Carolina ran on eight of the 10 plays and gained 68 of its 74 yards on the ground. [Jaycee Horn](http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4362847/jaycee-horn). The line was just wearing on them. [Geno Smith](http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/15864/geno-smith). Everybody was just wearing on them. [Ryan Neal](http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/3121344/ryan-neal) said. Hubbard, Blackshear and D’Onta Foreman were a three-headed trio that Seattle couldn’t stop on the ground. Darnold and Carolina built leads of 17-0 and 20-7 to take advantage of a sloppy, unenthusiastic first-half performance by the Seahawks. Foreman and Hubbard both had 74 yards rushing. Carolina pulled even with Atlanta and is within one game of division-leading Tampa Bay in the NFC South standings after the Buccaneers loss in San Francisco. [Shaq Thompson](http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/2978313/shaq-thompson) said. [Sam Darnold](http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/3912547/sam-darnold) threw one touchdown pass, [Chuba Hubbard](http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4241416/chuba-hubbard) and [Raheem Blackshear](http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/4259308/raheem-blackshear) both had rushing TDs, and the Panthers stayed in the thick of the muddled division race with a 30-24 win over the [Seattle Seahawks](http://www.espn.com/nfl/team/_/name/sea/seattle-seahawks) on Sunday.

Bradley Bozeman and Austin Corbett have been phenomenal free agent pick ups and add in first-round draft pick Ikem Ekownu, Carolina finally has something ...

SEATTLE -- The Carolina Panthers seemingly were out of control two months ago when they fired coach Matt Rhule after a 1-4 start and a week later traded ...

“For 13 weeks I said I was going to do it my way with players, coaches and the mentality and the culture that I wanted to create," Wilks said. He’s a great coach, and I hope he’s here for a while." Thompson described the job so far as “amazing." “Early on, even when we were losing some games, it was, ‘Hey, trust the process and trust the game plan.’" They rushed 46 times for 223 yards, including 68 yards on a 10-play, 74-yard drive in the fourth quarter to make it 27-17. They ran 39 times for 199 yards and two touchdowns between the tackles on Sunday. Carolina has averaged 154.6 yards with 10 rushing touchdowns the past seven games after averaging 90.3 with three rushing touchdowns the first six. it is pretty thrilling," said Wilks, his voice hoarse and full of emotion after the game. “He’s a true alpha, he’s a true leader," he said. He’s gone 4-4 since replacing Rhule, including a 3-0 record at home, where Rhule was 5-15 in two-plus seasons. According to [Carolina Panthers](/nfl/team/_/name/car/carolina-panthers) seemingly were out of control two months ago when they fired coach Matt Rhule after a 1-4 start and a week later traded star running back [Christian McCaffrey](https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/3117251/christian-mccaffrey) to the [San Francisco 49ers](/nfl/team/_/name/sf/san-francisco-49ers).

The Panthers became the first team in 2022 to fire their head coach when Matt Rhule was axed following a 1-4 start. Now Carolina should become the first ...

Wilks made the call to pull Bradford in order to get Rosen reps, as a good coach would who’s been tasked with rebuilding a team. An opportunity to get 2-3 years to build a franchise in his defensive image. The Cardinals went 3-13, as one would expect with their dearth of offensive talent and a horrific rookie QB at the helm. The most success this franchise has ever had was with two, relatively boring defensive coaches in John Fox and Ron Rivera. The Cardinals were a decimated team needing to completely rebuild following the Bruce Arians/Carson Palmer era, and their roster was in disarray. The Raiders are on fire after getting rid of Rich Bisaccia in favor of Josh McDaniels. The Panthers know this as well as anyone. Report after report touted Wilks as being fantastic in interviews and winning over front offices, only to see them predictably pass over a minority candidate. The Panthers became the first team in 2022 to fire their head coach when Matt Rhule was axed following a 1-4 start. After being regarded as one of the hottest prospective head coaches in the NFL, WIlks interviewed literally everywhere. There’s a very short list of coaches in the NFL who have done a better job over the last 10 weeks than Wilks. Inheriting a literal dumpster fire, he’s not only been the steadying force the team hoped for — but legitimately has the Panthers in the playoff hunt despite trading away their best offensive player in Christian McCaffrey.

The Panthers are now just a game out of first place after a road win combined with a Buccaneers loss.

The Falcons and Saints are 1-3 in the division. At the moment, the Panthers and Buccaneers have matching 3-1 division records. It seems like forever ago when the Panthers beat this team in Week 3, and it was. Best net points in all games Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference But if they've clinched a bye week by Week 17, who knows what Philadelphia will do personnel-wise. But they have to take care of business between now and then or hope for even more chaos to make it matter. Not only was it the first under interim coach Steve Wilks, it gave the Panthers what could be a crucial leg up in the tiebreaker process. [jumped from a 10 percent chance to a 19 percent chance](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/upshot/carolina-panthers-nfl-playoff-picture.html) by beating the Seahawks. The Lions game on Christmas Eve certainly looks different than it did a month ago as well. What it looks like: The Week 7 win over the Bucs looms large. It was 85 percent before they lost to the 49ers Sunday, so the Panthers can thank Christian McCaffrey for that.

The Panthers host the Steelers and the Lions. Carolina then visits the Buccaneers and the Saints. Currently 5-8, a sweep of the final four games would put them ...

And games in the division are always a challenge. If it happens, the NFC South champion will have a record above .500, albeit barely. The Lions are making a late-season playoff push. Carolina would win the tiebreaker over Tampa via a 2-0 season sweep. Carolina then visits the Buccaneers and the Saints. Currently 5-8, a sweep of the final four games would put them at 9-8.

While Jeff Saturday's hiring in Indianapolis has garnered significantly more buzz, Steve Wilks' performance as the Panthers' interim head coach is starting ...

[Cardinals](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/ARI/arizona-cardinals/)' head coach for the 2018 season. [Tom Brady](/nfl/players/187741/tom-brady/), the [Buccaneers](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/TB/tampa-bay-buccaneers/) are a shell of the team that won the [Super Bowl](/nfl/superbowl/) two years ago. [Brian Burns](/nfl/players/2253012/brian-burns/), Shaq Thompson and [Jaycee Horn](/nfl/players/2966411/jaycee-horn/) have each enjoyed stellar seasons while helping promote Wilks' cause to become the team's permanent head coach. [Lions](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/DET/detroit-lions/) are coming on strong after a slow start. [control their playoff destiny](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-2022-playoff-picture-standings-lions-with-path-to-postseason-in-wild-nfc-patriots-grab-afcs-no-7-seed/) with a month to go in the regular season. [Steelers](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/PIT/pittsburgh-steelers/) team that is one loss away from being eliminated from playoff contention. The success on the ground allowed the Panthers to control the ball for over 39 minutes. The [Saints](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/NO/new-orleans-saints/) are in even worse shape having dropped four of their last five games. "I think just really the mentality of really finishing up front and running the football," Wilks said regarding the statement his team made in their Week 14 win. "He said early on, even when we were losing some games, it was, 'hey, trust the process and trust the game plan.' If we go into a game knowing we want to run the football and early we get down a score or two, we just got to trust it and know that that game plan is going to come to fruition. They finished the game with a whopping 223 rushing yards, with The Lions' highly efficient offense (currently first in the [NFL](/nfl/) in red zone offense and ninth in 3rd-down efficiency) is one of the reasons why Dan Campbell's team is vying for its first winning season in a half-decade.

Carolina Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks certainly has a hold on both players and fans alike. And now that the team is playing some meaningful ...

“Definitely wanna talk to our fans, who I feel like are the best fans in NFL football,” he said. In doing so, he implored the Carolina faithful to “defend the Bank” and keep the Terrible Towels at a minimum this upcoming weekend. And now that the team is playing some meaningful football down the stretch, he’s hoping the latter of those two groups shows up to support the former.

Copied! Taylor Moton, Austin Corbett, Bradley Bozeman, Brady Christensen, Ikem Ekwonu. Chanelle Smith-Walker ...

Seeing the total weight on the field for the package, Christensen quipped – "It was a lot of meat." "(It's) definitely great; shoutout to those guys in the Arby's package. Christensen said establishing the run as a group has been "incredible." So we want to have those 12, 15, 18-play drives around the ball because we know we can outlast the defense. It wasn't dramatic for its result, but it was part of a 12-play, 74-yard touchdown drive that bridged the first and second quarters. Perhaps it hadn't been as apparent as when eight offensive linemen came out for a play in the Seattle win.

Panthers' win at Seattle is the type of victory that changes a season for the team and its coach ... Carolina ...

I’m proud of the way he’s bounced back and the consistency that he’s operating on right now,” Wilks said. Carolina runs a simple offense predicated on winning at the line of scrimmage and protecting the football. Carolina complied 12 first-half first downs and went 5 of 8 (63%) on the critical down in the first 30 minutes. “We knew we were going to have to make plays and give our offense more opportunities,” Horn said. The defense held the Seahawks to a season-low 26 rushing yards. It’s going to be a four-quarter game, and teams like that, that’s how they like to play.” “When you come into the game knowing that’s how they’re going to play, you just have to strap up and be ready to go four quarters. By upsetting Seattle, the Panthers now control their playoff destiny. Wilks’ fourth victory was the first road win of the Panthers’ season. We got to go home and protect the bank.” Wilks won three games in 2018 as the Arizona Cardinals’ coach. Nine weeks later, the Panthers have bloomed into a hard-nosed, inspired NFL team.

SUNRISE, Fla. - Wrapping up a difficult back-to-back set, the Florida Panthers opened their three-game homestand with a 5-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken at ...

"I think up until this point in the season it's been tough to get some offense going for me, so it's nice to see that start clicking. "They were quickest and on us, forced us to turn pucks over a little bit too much," Staal said. It's great to be there, for sure." The biggest games are ahead of us, not behind us." "It's nice to see some rhythm. Against the Kraken, he recorded an assist when Chris Tierney tipped his shot from the point to trim Florida's deficit to 5-2 with 1:17 left in regulation. "I've been able to do that for most of my career. I take a lot of pride in that and doing a good job with the guys. "We can do it in here. "I've been asked to penalty kill a lot. Obviously it's always nice to contribute offensively and score. "I don't think frustration has anything to do with the last two games," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said.