After only leading by four points through the first three quarters, the Seattle Seahawks exploded for 17 points in the final quarter and in the process they beat the Carolina Panthers 31-17 Saturday in a NFC Divisional Round playoff game at CenturyLink Field.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson threw three touchdown passes in the win and safety Kam Chancellor returned a fourth quarter interception thrown by Panthers quarterback Cam Newton 90 yards for a touchdown to put the game away for good.
Wilson only completed 15 passes in the game on his way to finishing with 268 yards passing.
The Seahawks also rushed for 100 yards in the game with Wilson accounting for 22 of them.
As for Newton, he threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns against the Seahawks physical defense. Both of his scoring throws went to rookie wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, who finished the game with seven catches for 75 yards.
In addition to the two interceptions that he threw in the game, Newton’s aborted snap fumble late in the first quarter was quickly turned into seven points by the Seahawks offense as Wilson connected with wide receiver Doug Baldwin from 16 yards out just four plays after the turnover.
The Seahawks will now move on to the NFC Championship game next weekend where they will host the winner of the Sunday Divisional Round game between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys.
