Seattle Seahawks preparing to face Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers’ ‘diverse’ offense

. The Seattle Seahawks know Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton better than most NFL teams.

So they have a better understanding than most of what it will take to contain Newton on Sunday when Seattle faces the Panthers in an NFC divisional playoff game at Bank of America Stadium.

“I expect the ball to be in his hands,” said Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner. “Everybody is trying to make it to the Super Bowl now and playmakers want the ball in their hands. He’s a playmaker for that team, so he’ll have the ball, whether he’s throwing it or running it.”

Newton, who is expected to win the league’s MVP award this season, hasn’t had great success against the Seahawks in five career games. He’s 1-4 against the Seahawks in his five seasons in the league – including a playoff loss last season. But the lone victory came earlier this season in Seattle, when Newton directed two 80-yard drives in the fourth quarter as the Panthers won 27-23.

In that game, Newton completed 20-of-36 passes for 269 yards and a touchdown. But he also threw two interceptions and was sacked three times by a Seahawks defense that finished the regular season as the league’s top unit in scoring defense (17.3 points per game) and second in total defense (291.8 yards per game).

So the Seahawks know the potential is there to stop Newton, it’s just a matter of sticking with what they’ve done before. And part of that is understanding that Newton doesn’t run only when he has to: he joins running back Jonathan Stewart and fullback Mike Tolbert as an integral part of the Panthers’ rushing game, as well.

That makes the Panthers’ running game more different and dangerous than any other in the league, according to Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman.

“It’s the most diverse,” Sherman said. “A lot of teams run similar things, but nobody runs the same stuff they run, outside of college teams.”

In other words, Sherman is very aware that while Stewart leads the Panthers with 989 yards rushing, Newton also has 636 yards on the ground (with 10 touchdowns), to go along with his 3,837 passing yards.

“It all starts with Cam, he’s going to have the ball on every play,” said Sherman. “But you have to be aware of Stewart. He’s been phenomenal all year, breaking tackles, running strong and being physical. You have to be wary of tackling him. And Tolbert can be involved at any given time, through the running game, the screen game or the passing game.”

That diversity makes the Panthers a tough team for which to prepare.

“There’s nobody that does more stuff (with the running game), and it’s basically because the quarterback is such a dynamic part of it,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “They’re willing to run the quarterback inside, outside, lead plays, powers, all of the read stuff, as well. This is the most difficult offense that we face, and it’s really because Cam is such an adept player.

“A lot of teams have some plays that they use (like Carolina), but nobody relies on the quarterback to run like they do. He’s got 10 touchdowns rushing this year and those aren’t quarterback sneaks at the goal line. They’re from all over the place. It’s the most challenging.”

What makes Newton so difficult to defend, of course, is he can be equally effective throwing the ball. Sherman said Newton has grown into that part of the game, as well.

“He’s gotten more confident standing in the pocket and delivering the ball,” said Sherman. “He’s stepping up, stepping into his throws, moving people with his eyes. He’s become more diverse, there, too.”

Sherman was asked what’s the best way to defend Newton.

“The way that he doesn’t complete a lot of passes,” Sherman said.

This story was originally published January 13, 2016 at 8:33 PM with the headline "Seattle Seahawks preparing to face Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers’ ‘diverse’ offense."