Seahawks vs. Panthers | NFL Week 17 Breakdown & Best Bets: Kings of the West?
Written by: Varun Sharma
Last Update: Fri Jan 02, 2026, 1:54 am ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
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The Hawks head to Carolina this week looking to solidify their spot atop of the NFC West. The Panthers host with their sights set on a spot in the postseason. Both teams are in need of wins this week and that's why I'm excited for this matchup.
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Game Information
Matchup Information
- Location: Bank of America Stadium; Charlotte, NC
- Date: Sunday, December 27th, 2025
- Kickoff: 1:00 PM EST
Quarterback Matchup
- Seattle Seahawks: Sam Darnold (14-3; 2024 – 254.1 YPG | 35 TD | 12 INT)
- Carolina Panthers: Bryce Young (4-10; 2024 – 171.6 YPG | 15 TD | 9 INT)
Betting Odds
Odds via Lucky Rebel, an industry leader in the sports betting world.
Analysis & Breakdown
Sam F'n Darnold
Last week's win against the Rams might have been one of the most Sam Darnold games of all time. Darnold completed 65% of his passes for 270 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Both interceptions came in the second half of the game and the Hawks went into the 4th quarter down 16 points.
Seattle scored 16 points in the final eight minutes of regulation to tie the game and send it into overtime. Both of Darnold's passing touchdowns came in the 4th quarter/overtime, as did nearly 120 of his passing yards. It started ugly but what matters is how you finish.
This Seattle defense was simply amazing in that second half. The Hawks rank 2nd in points allowed, 7th in opponent redzone efficiency, 3rd in opponent rsh yards and 2nd in opponent yards per play. They forced multiple punts in the game against the Rams and were a huge reason the Hawks were able to mount a comeback.
This week the Seahawks look tighten their grip on the NFC West, needing a win and losses from both the Rams and Niners to lock up the division.
Panthers in the Playoffs?
The Panthers are one game above .500 and on the cusp of making the playoff for the first time since 2017. Bryce Young is this close to making the playoffs for the first time in his career and if things go their way, they could lock up a spot this week. The Panthers need a win and Buccs loss this week to lock up a home playoff game and they've got a pretty tough opponent to do it against.
Carolina's offense ranks 27th in points scored, 25th in redzone efficiency, 22nd in first downs, and 26th in pass yards. Despite having one of the worst offenses in the NFL, the Panthers have won some big games against some big name opponents.
Carolina's got wins against the Packers, the Rams, Buccaneers and Cowboys. They've also come away with losses to the Cardinals and Saints (twice). You don't know what Panthers team is showing up on Sunday and it's made for some fun football.
Carolina's defense is the reason this team's looking to possibly win the NFC South. The team ranks 13th in points allowed, 14th in opponent redzone efficiency and 14th in turnovers. The numbers don't jump off the page but this defense shut out the Falcons, held the Packers to just 13 points, and both the Buccaneers and Niners to just 20 points a piece.
Sunday's Best Bets
Rico Dowdle o14.5 Receiving Yards (-110) | Lucky Rebel
The Panthers need all hands on deck and that counts twice for a guy like Rico Dowdle. Dowdle's been one of the highlights of the year for Carolina and he's earned every bit of his contract.
Dowdle's averaging 4.6 yards per carry, 67.1 rush yards per game and he's gotten into the endzone 7 times this year. In the pass game he's been utilized heavily. He's averaging 18.2 receiving yards per game this year and 22.5 per game over his last 10.
The Seahawks defense is elite and they've done everything they can to stifle opponents. The one issue they've had is covering opposing backs out of the backfield. The Seahawks rank 14th in pass yards allowed but 26th in receiving yards allowed to RBs.
Over the last few weeks we've seen multiple RBs clear this number and with a potential spot in the playoffs on the line; I'm expecting Carolina to go Dowdle in more ways than one.
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