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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Seahawks score late to beat Panthers

Seahawks tight end Luke Willson celebrates his touchdown with 47 seconds left that gave Seattle a lead it would not relinquish. It was the Seahawks’ first lead of the game. (Associated Press)
Steve Reed Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Russell Wilson walked into the huddle with his team down a field goal and less than five minutes remaining. He started laughing, sensing the familiarity of the situation.

Then he looked around at his teammates and said, “We’ve been here two years in row – let’s go do it.”

And the Seahawks did it.

Wilson connected on a 23-yard touchdown pass to Luke Willson with 47 seconds left to cap a nine-play, 80-yard drive, lifting Seattle to a 13-9 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

It’s the third straight year Wilson has brought the Seahawks (4-3) back from a second-half deficit to beat the Panthers on Carolina’s field. In the previous two seasons, Wilson threw TD passes to Jermaine Kearse and Golden Tate to win tight defensive games.

“Man, I’m telling you, it’s just the Achilles’ heel, man,” Panthers cornerback Josh Norman said. “They keep nagging us. They end up making one more play than us, every single time.”

Carolina’s defense came into the game having allowed at least 37 points in four of its last five games. But it held Wilson and the Seahawks to a pair of field goals before he took the field with 4:47 left on the clock.

Wilson methodically marched the Seahawks down the field, going 4 of 4 for 53 yards and running twice for 11 yards. He completed short, precise tosses to unheralded receivers Cooper Helfet, Kevin Norwood and Paul Richardson before connecting with Wilson on a seam route for the winning touchdown.

“We believed we were going to go down the field and make the plays and win the game,” Wilson said. “There was no doubt.”

Wilson finished 20 of 32 for 199 yards and had one interception.

“He truly is an extraordinary player in the fourth quarter,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “He finds a way to make the play that we need to make.”

The victory snapped Seattle’s two-game losing streak and Carroll hopes it eliminated any talk of the Seahawks lacking focus following the Percy Harvin trade.

“If you think there are distractions, you are wrong,” Carroll said.

It was another struggle for Cam Newton.

Newton was 12 of 27 for 121 yards with an interception and a fumble for the Panthers (3-4-1). In three games against the Seahawks, Newton has thrown for only 437 yards and one touchdown while being sacked eight times. It ended when Newton bounced a pass in front of running back Jonathan Stewart on fourth-and-25.

“Sometimes with a team like this you get pressure,” Newton said. “Being pressured you have to be willing to take chances. When you make plays you know you’re labeled a genius. When you don’t (make plays) – and a lot of times we didn’t today – it looks bad. It looks real bad.”

Carolina had a chance after the touchdown, but Seattle’s pass rush turned up the heat and the Panthers couldn’t manage a first down.

Marshawn Lynch ran for 62 yards and Doug Baldwin had six catches for 61 yards for the Seahawks.

The Panthers led 6-3 at halftime despite reaching inside the Seattle 20 on their first three drives.

A dropped pass in the end zone by rookie wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin and a turnover off a fumbled exchange between Newton and Stewart on a read option play were costly. The Panthers settled for Graham Gano’s two field goals.

“It’s tough when you don’t score touchdowns and miss opportunities,” Carolina coach Ron Rivera said. “You have to make hay down in the red zone.”

The Seahawks had their share of botched plays, too.

With a chance to take the lead just before halftime, Lynch let Wilson’s pass slip through his hands at the goal line and cornerback Josh Norman came up with the interception. In the third quarter, Wilson got the Panthers to bite on a fake handoff and had Helfet wide open along the left sideline for a potential touchdown but underthrew him. The Seahawks also turned over the ball when center Stephen Schilling botched a snap to Wilson.

Seattle’s only points in the first half came when Stephen Hauschka drilled a low-lining 58-yard field goal.

Seahawks 13, Panthers 9

Seattle 0 3 3 7 13
Carolina 3 3 0 3 9

Car—FG Gano 31

Car—FG Gano 26

Sea—FG Hauschka 58

Sea—FG Hauschka 29

Car—FG Gano 46

Sea—Willson 23 pass from Wilson (Hauschka kick)

A—74,042.

Sea Car
First downs 19 17
Total Net Yards 310 266
Rushes-yards 26-119 31-114
Passing 191 152
Punt Returns 1-0 1-0
Kickoff Returns 2-73 3-99
Interceptions Ret. 1-24 1-27
Comp-Att-Int 20-32-1 12-22-1
Sacked-Yards Lst 1-8 3-19
Punts 3-40.0 2-39.0
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 4-1
Penalties-Yards 7-41 4-20
Time of Poss. 29:00 31:00

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING—Seattle, Lynch 14-62, Wilson 6-35, Michael 4-12, Turbin 2-10. Carolina, Stewart 16-79, Newton 12-24, Ogbonnaya 1-9, Avant 1-1, Reaves 1-1.

PASSING—Seattle, Wilson 20-32-1-199. Carolina, Newton 12-22-1-171.

RECEIVING—Seattle, Baldwin 6-61, Turbin 3-32, Lockette 2-22, Richardson 2-20, Kearse 2-15, Norwood 2-13, Willson 1-23, Helfet 1-11, Lynch 1-2. Carolina, Benjamin 4-94, Cotchery 3-33, Stewart 3-15, Olsen 1-16, Dickson 1-13.

MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.