Newton looks to overcome Seahawks

Cam Newton must find a way to beat his biggest nemesis for the Carolina Panthers to advance to the NFC Championship game.

The fourth-year quarterback is 0-3 in his career and has struggled to find the end zone against the Seattle Seahawks, Carolina’s opponent in Saturday night’s divisional playoff game.

Newton has led only one touchdown drive in those three losses to the Seahawks.

He’s barely completed 50 percent of his passes and is averaging just 145 yards passing per game. He’s been sacked eight times with three turnovers, including two fumbles. Newton has also been limited to 104 yards on the ground and has not scored a touchdown rushing against Seattle.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera said he believes Newton will be fine as long as he doesn’t try to force the action against the league’s No. 1-ranked defense.

While his stats haven’t been spectacular, Newton has gotten the job done and the Panthers (8-8-1) have won five straight games.

“If Cam plays the way he has in some of the games in this past five-week stretch there are some really good possibilities for us,” Rivera said.

Newton said he won’t hesitate to throw at Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman if the opportunity presents itself.

“Don’t get me wrong, Richard Sherman is a top-tier cornerback,” Newton said. “But, if the read takes me there, I have to take it. I’m not going to shy away from it.”

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers returns to practice

Aaron Rodgers has returned to practice for the Green Bay Packers after sitting out with a left calf injury.

Rodgers was limited to the team practice periods on Thursday. Coach Mike McCarthy said that Rodgers’ mobility “looked good.”

Rodgers missed two days of light practice last week, along with practice on Wednesday, to focus on treatment for the lingering calf injury.

He has already said that he intends to play in Sunday’s playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Investigator: NFL should have sought more info in Rice case

A former FBI director hired to look into how the NFL pursued evidence in the Ray Rice abuse case says the league should have investigated more thoroughly before it initially punished the player.

Mueller said he can find no evidence the league received the video showing Rice striking his fiancee in a casino elevator before it was published online in September.

The report said a review of phone records and emails of NFL employees in New York backs up statements from commissioner Roger Goodell that nobody had seen the video before the league initially suspended Rice.

Around the league

The Chicago Bears have hired New Orleans Saints executive Ryan Pace as general manager to replace the fired Phil Emery. … The Atlanta Falcons are asking fans to pay one-time fees of as much as $45,000 for the right to purchase club-level tickets in the team’s new stadium. … Scientists with the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network installed instruments at CenturyLink Field in Seattle to record expected vibrations from jumping and stomping fans at Saturday’s Seahawks playoff game. … A person familiar with the decisions says Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains will not be returning to the team. … First-year candidates Junior Seau, Kurt Warner and Orlando Pace are among 18 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The list of nominees was reduced to 15 from the modern era, one senior and two contributors.