AP: 479bfd1e-bfe5-4e3e-9f8f-99f4a4af9e13
Chris Clemons (91) and Bobby Wagner (54) bring down Carolina's Cam Newton for one of the Seahawks' four sacks. Seattle forced two turnovers and held the Panthers to just 190 yards of offense. (AP)

You might also be interested in:
listen Listen: Carroll on Wilson's improvement, Seahawks' dominant defense
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll joins "Brock and Salk" to review Seattle's 16-12 win over Carolina.
By AARON BEARD
AP Sports Writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Bruce Irvin raced by an offensive lineman and chopped down on Cam Newton's arm as the quarterback loaded up to throw downfield.

The ball popped free and into the hands of a teammate, capping the latest strong performance by a Seattle Seahawks defense that made life miserable for Newton and the Carolina Panthers.

Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Golden Tate with 35 seconds left in the third quarter, while the defense kept the Panthers' offense out of the end zone in a 16-12 win Sunday.

Wilson shook off two third quarter interceptions – including one returned for a touchdown – and outperformed Newton on a struggle-filled day for the Carolina offense, which finished with only 190 yards.

That included forcing Newton into an incompletion on a fourth-and-goal from the 1 with 3:47 left.

"It wasn't easy; it might have looked like it was, but it wasn't easy because of all the stuff they do," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. "And they tried all their options and stuff, and we were able to stay in sync with it, so it's a fantastic job defensively.

"Nothing can express it more than standing up on the goal line down there and finishing. That was awesome. It's what defensive players and coaches live for – those challenges and opportunities – and the guys came through in a big way."

Wilson threw for 221 yards, while Marshawn Lynch ran for 85 yards for the Seahawks (3-2) in their first road win.

Newton threw for a career-low 141 yards on 12-for-29 passing and he was sacked four times. He also ran for 42 yards.

"When you know what guys are doing and you still can't beat them, they're just good at what they do," said Newton, last year's No. 1 overall draft pick.

"Let's call a cat a cat and a dog a dog. They're a great defense. We knew what we they were going to do before the game even started."

The Panthers' only touchdown came on Captain Munnerlyn's 33-yard interception return early in the third quarter.

Carolina started the season with plenty of optimism with the return of Newton to lead a high-scoring offense, but the Panthers (1-4) couldn't rebound a week after losing 30-28 to the Falcons on Matt Bryant's field goal with 5 seconds left.

"This is by no stretch done," second-year Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. "This is 1-4 and we're not going to quit. We're going to show up and we're going to be back on the job (Monday). We will find answers and we're going to win."

The offense never found a rhythm while Newton was frequently off target, completing just 3 of 15 passes for 40 yards in the first half.

"We know he's a great dual-threat quarterback, but once we bottle it up and frustrate him, we know he's going to tank a little bit," Seahawks safety Earl Thomas said. "We were able to do that today."

Carolina had two chances to take the lead in the final minutes Sunday only to come away empty each time.

After driving the Panthers to the 1 for the fourth down play, Newton rolled to his right and spotted Ben Hartsock open in the end zone, but he threw a one-hopper on the short pass.

Then, after the Seahawks took an intentional safety, Carolina got the ball back at its own 31 with 54 seconds left and no timeouts. That's when Irvin, a rookie, stripped Newton for his second sack. Defensive tackle Alan Branch fell on the loose ball to seal the win.

The game marked a homecoming of sorts for Wilson, who first gained acclaim as a quarterback at North Carolina State. He also played minor league baseball in Asheville and Gastonia before returning to college football and finishing up at Wisconsin.

The rookie hadn't thrown for more than 160 yards in a game until Sunday, but didn't panic when he threw the two interceptions and bought time with his mobility on several plays.

"I felt like we had so much control there," Wilson said. "I made sure everyone was on the same page, and even changed the snap count a lot. We did a lot of great things today. ... Obviously, some of the penalties pulled us back, as did the turnovers, but we still did a lot of great things."

After Brandon Browner ripped the ball away from DeAngelo Williams and recovered the fumble to give Seattle a short field, Wilson moved the Seahawks to the Carolina 13 then found Tate over the middle. Tate spun off a hit from Thomas Davis around the 4 and into the end zone for the 13-10 lead.

Steven Hauschka added his third field goal to make it 16-10 with about 10 1/2 minutes left.

Notes: The Panthers played without three starters; cornerback Chris Gamble, linebacker Jon Beason and offensive lineman due to injuries. ... Newton targeted receiver Steve Smith a season-high 13 times. The previous high was 11 in the opener at Tampa Bay. ... Seattle tight end Zach Miller had three catches for a season-high 59 yards, including a season-long 30-yard catch. ... Seattle's Sidney Rice had five catches for 67 yards.


(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

share this story:
facebook
email

MyNorthwest.com - Purpose of Comments statement
Bonneville Media encourages site users to express their opinions by posting comments. Our goal is to maintain a civil dialogue in which readers feel comfortable. At times, the comments can descend to personal attacks. Please do not engage in such behavior. We encourage your thoughtful comments which: have a positive and constructive tone, are on topic, are respectful toward others and their opinions. Bonneville reserves the right to remove comments which do not conform to these criteria.

Comments (26)


  • Add A Comment

  • clevesside wrote...
    Scary to watch the offense.....
    October 7, 2012 3:22 pm
    ....against a team begging to be beat in Carolina. Wilson's truthfully OK, but not the answer for offense. Penalties and more again; shame, shame and shame again. Send in Flynn, "bad" elbow and all, against NE's defense next week. Boys vs. Men?!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • pmey wrote...
    Defense won the game......
    October 7, 2012 3:28 pm
    Sad that we can only score one TD vs panthers. Brandon Browner Saved the day...Our Defense is the best!!!!!!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Zagnut wrote...
    The Wilsonites will praise their QB for his performance.
    October 7, 2012 3:30 pm
    Sadly our head coach will be one of them.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • darrengrama wrote...
    Dude,
    October 7, 2012 10:09 pm
    Wilson played exeptional. He was decisive in his throws and runs. Threw an ugly pic but made up for it, not only with the pass to Tate, with converting 50% of the third down attempts and only servicing up one incompletion on the pivitol down which everyone was doggong him for. Imagine if he didn't throw those two pics he wouldve been 80% on his overall completion percentage. Jump on board, man. Stop being a contrarian.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • rational wrote...
    Wilson better than the stats this game
    October 7, 2012 3:35 pm
    The pick 6 was Wilson's fault, the other interception was a completion and Lynch had it punched out...I'm surprised it wasn't counted as a fumble and not an int.

    Penalties almost cost the game...took a 56 yd completion away with a hold, and it looked like an uneccesary one as well, meaning the pass was gone about the same time the hold was committed.

    Wilson or Flynn...I'm pleased either way, just enjoying the defense being monsters.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Zagnut wrote...
    Rational, the "other" one was thrown terribly. Lynch had to hit the brakes and reach back.
    October 7, 2012 3:59 pm
    Lynch did a nice job almost catching it, but unfortunately was in position for the ball to get knocked loose, and that is exactly what happened.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • rational wrote...
    Zagnut
    October 7, 2012 5:40 pm
    Lynch had it up against his chest...and you still want to put that one on Wilson?!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Zagnut wrote...
    You need to watch a replay.
    October 8, 2012 6:50 am
    The throw was clearly and obviously behind Lynch. A good throw would not have resulted in an interception. I think Wilson was better yesterday than in previous performances, but that was an awfully low bar to clear. With Wilson as our QB we are destined for a record somewhere between 7-9 and 9-7, which is pretty tragic considering our defense and running game.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • rational wrote...
    Zagnut
    October 8, 2012 8:21 am
    A good throw would not have resulted in an interception.

    Yes, the throw was behind Lynch, but I didn't realize you had a window into an alternate universe where you could know for a fact that placing it in a different spot would guarantee it wasn't intercepted. I have seen a replay and it was behind but Lynch pulled it to his chest and then it got knocked out. If the ball gets to where it's between the reciever's hand and their chest that would normally be concidered a reception. That it subsequently got knocked out moves some of the responsiblity to the receiver.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Zagnut wrote...
    No doubt, some of the responsibly is on Lynch - maybe even most of it.
    October 8, 2012 2:35 pm
    My point is that Wilson is absolutely NOT without blame - maybe even most of it. And of course it is impossible to know what would have happened with a good throw. You are nit-picking with that comment. It is very, very safe to say that it would have been WAY LESS LIKELY for there to be an interception with a good throw. The bottom line is that it was a POOR throw - which ultimately led to an interception. The QB is NOT absolved just because the receiver (who is a running back, not a WR) COULD have made a better play.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • sportsguru wrote...
    actually
    October 7, 2012 4:15 pm

    I think the hawks offense is pretty good between the 20 yard line, it's when they get in the red zone and/or are backed up near there own end zone that they have substantial problems, most I think is play calling, they don't want to put the kid in a position to turn the ball over and the penalties on offense, especially Giac and that phantom hold on Okung that sprung Lynch that got called back and clemons hitting Cam on 3rd down gave them a chance to keep a drive alive and score points when they should have been punting, I mean, come on guys.

    I think Wilson proved that he can make a play after turning the ball over, they need to take some shots when they are backed up and/or near the end zone, up until that TD to Tate, they seemed to be throwing the safe pass not to turn it over rather than trusting the kid and receiver's to make a play, Carpenter looks good at left guard and how do you like that 15th pick Irvin now, I wonder what all the naysayers think right now,lol, what's that 4 sack in 5 games, he is on pace to get 12 sacks and I was predicting 10 for him if Clemons came in to camp, the boy can rush the passer.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Daddy Dennis wrote...
    This is what it feels like...
    October 7, 2012 5:03 pm
    To be the fan of a winning team in the NFL. Soak it up!

    Wagner was special. Sherman was a monster. Browner was elite. Marshawn was like Frank Sinatra writing a song. Even when they stopped him, they could not bring him down.

    Carolina is a complete mess. But the refs were on their side all game and they still could not make it happen.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • messiah101 wrote...
    The 2 QBs
    October 7, 2012 5:16 pm
    Are over hyped below average NFL Quarterbacks.This may have been the worst performance by two QBs that I have seen in one game.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Howdy wrote...
    Messiah
    October 7, 2012 5:46 pm
    Wilson was 19 for 25 with 212 yards, that's not too shabby.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • rational wrote...
    Irvin 4.5 sacks in 5 games...
    October 7, 2012 5:41 pm
    I wonder at what point the "experts" admit they may have been wrong.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Nickatnyt wrote...
    Defense is tough as nails, but that offense?
    October 7, 2012 6:33 pm
    Coach needs to instill some discipline into the offense asap, but something tells me he is still a college coach at heart, so until that changes I foresee a soft offense that will penalize themselves out of 10-14 points a game.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • 333 wrote...
    sportsguru
    October 7, 2012 7:02 pm
    please change your name, i can't believe you I just said this... I think the hawks offense is pretty good, it's when they get in the red zone
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • sportsguru wrote...
    333
    October 7, 2012 7:12 pm

    I said they are pretty good between the 20's, they have the worst red zone offense in the league, converting in the red zone is what wins games.

    And no I am not going to change my name because you don't understand anything about football other than if they won or lost.

    Sorry

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • anotherfencewalker wrote...
    A new meaning
    October 7, 2012 7:03 pm
    to the term "an ugly win". If Carroll shows anything as a coach, he'll chew some serious a55 monday morning about penalties. Those guys need to understand what it is to act like an adult on the field instead of a child with a temper tantrum.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }

You might also be interested in:






Seahawks tickets

Blogs

Brock and Salk How Earl Thomas can take the next step
20 hours, 14 minutes ago.
WSU Cougars Coug fans shouldn't be told to temper expectations
Wednesday, May 8, 11:04 am




close

Carroll on Wilson's improvement, Seahawks' dominant defense

Monday, Oct 8, 2012

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll joins "Brock and Salk" to review Seattle's 16-12 win over Carolina.
Share:
Contact Us
Employment
Contest Rules
RSS
Terms of Use
Privacy Statement
EEO Public File Report
Copyright Infringement
mynorthwest.com
Copyright © 2013 Bonneville International. All rights reserved.