CHARLOTTE Seahawks 16, Panthers 10

Scoring play: A 44-yard field by Steven Hauschka.

Drive: 7 plays, 39 yards, 3:33

Key play: On a 2-and-10, MLB Luke Kuechly blew past the Seattle offensive line and tackled running back Robert Turbin in the backfield for a loss of two. That play forced the Seahawks to pass on third down, which would go incomplete.

Time of game: 10:27 in fourth quarter.

Worth mentioning: Cam Newton is currently on pace for his worst game as a pro. He's 5-for-20 for 55 yards and a 39.6 passer rating after the third quarter.

Seahawks 13, Panthers 10

Scoring play: A 13-yard touchdown reception by Golden Tate

Drive: 5 plays, 27 yards, 2:02

Key play: Seattle began the drive at the Carolina 27-yard line after Browner caused a DeAngelo Williams fumble. Newton pitched the ball late to Williams, who secured the ball but promptly had it stripped by Browner.

Time of game: 0:35 in the third quarter.

Worth mentioning: Seattle now has seven points off Carolina turnovers. The Panthers have forced three Seahawk turnovers but with the same result. Two resulted in punts while a third was Munnerlyn's pick-six.

Panthers 10, Seahawks 6

Scoring play: A 33-yard interception returned for a touchdown by Captain Munnerlyn.

Time of game: 12:26 in the third quarter.

Worth mentioning: It's the second pick-six of the year for the Panthers, with the first being a Charles Godfrey interception that keyed the Panthers' lone win of the season. Munnerlyn stepped in front of the receiver to get the pick. FB Michael Robinson had gotten pushed down on the check down route, and had he not sat on the ground he would have been in position to tackle Munnerlyn and save the touchdown.

Halftime: Seahawks 6, Panthers 3

In a grinding battle of field goals, Seattle leads the Panthers 6-3 at halftime today at Bank of America Stadium.

It was a flat performance by the Panthers' offense, which couldn't solve the Seattle defense, which is ranked third in the NFL. Three of the Panthers first four possessions were three-and-outs while the other managed two first downs but didn't move deep into Seahawks' territory.

It didn't help that the Panthers were stuck with poor field position, their average starting position on five first-half drives being their own 13-yard line. Playing without three starters -- middle linebacker Jon Beason, cornerback Chris Gamble and offensive guard Geoff Hangartner -- the Panthers couldn't generate any momentum in the first half, surrendering a handful of long third-down conversions to Seattle.

The Seahawks took a 3-0 lead on a 22-yard Steven Hauschka field goal with 10:29 left in the first quarter. Haustchka stretched the lead to 6-0 with a 36-yard field goal in the second quarter, capping a 12-play Seattle possession.

The Panthers finally found a bit of offensive rhythm late in the first half, relying on Cam Newton's scrambling ability -- and the help of a roughing the passer penalty on Seattle -- to set up a 32-yard Justin Medlock field goal with two seconds remaining in the half. Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson completed 12 of 13 passes for 123 yards while Newton struggled, completing just three of 15 passes for 40 yards.

The Panthers managed just 93 total yards in the first half while Seattle gained 174 yards.

-Ron Green Jr.

Seahawks 6, Panthers 0

Scoring play: A 36-yard field goal by Steven Hauschka.

Drive: 12 plays, 50 yards, 6:58.

Key play: On 3-and-5 from the CAR 36-yard line, Russell Wilson found Sidney Rice on the edge for an 11-yard gain. Rice was covered by second-year CB Josh Thomas, who replaced top cornerback Chris Gamble (shoulder) for this game.

Time of game: 8:29 in the second quarter.

Worth mentioning: Carolina got two sacks on that drive but was unable to stop the Seahawks outside of field goal range. Greg Hardy and Luke Kuechly ganged up on Wislon for a five-yard loss early in the drive, and later Antawn Applewhite sacked Wilson for a loss of four.

Seahawks 3, Panthers 0

Scoring play: A 22-yard field goal by Steven Hauscka.

Drive: 8 plays, 41 yards, 3:33.

Key play: A 13-yard completion from Russell Wilson to Doug Baldwin. Baldwin sat in the middle of the field on a 3-and-7 and picked up the first down before MLB Luke Kuechly could make the tackle.

Time of game: 10:29 in the first quarter.

Worth mentioning: Brad Nortman's first shank of the year came at a bad time. After the Panthers went three-and-out from inside their own 20, Nortman hit a 29-yard punt that gave Seattle the ball at the Carolina 45-yard line.

Pregame

The Carolina Panthers will be without three starters for Sunday's game.

Linebacker Jon Beason, cornerback Chris Gamble and right guard Geoff Hangartner are out for Sunday's 4 p.m. match against Seattle.

Beason (knee) and Gamble (shoulder) did not practice during the week, and they were listed as doubtful entering the game. Hangartner (knee) worked on the sideline with a trainer on Thursday and Friday and was listed as questionable.

Taking Beason's place at middle linebacker is rookie Luke Kuechly. Thomas Davis enters the lineup at WLB, assuming Kuechly's former role. Gamble will be replaced by former starting cornerback Captain Munnerlyn. When the Panthers move into a nickel formation, Munnerlyn will slide to his usual nickel spot and second-year player Josh Thomas will get the nod at corner.

Garry Williams will take Hangartner's place at guard.

Here are the other inactives for Sunday's game: QB Jimmy Clausen, KR/PR Joe Adams, S D.J. Campbell and DE Thomas Keiser.