Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks look a lot like each other

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett looks at the Carolina Panthers and sees a team that reflects the personality and background of its coach, Ron Rivera.

Bennett also sees a team that looks a lot like his own, featuring a stout, physical defense, strong running game and playmakers all over the field.

“It’s not a surprise. You think about Ron and the type of player he was and the type of defense he played in and the team he played for, he’s going to build it in his image,” Bennett said. “They have three levels on both sides of the ball and that’s a challenge. They know the same thing about us.”

Rivera was a backup linebacker for the 1985 Chicago Bears team that went 18-1 and won the Super Bowl behind a defense widely considered the most dominant of the Super Bowl era.

Seattle coach Pete Carroll shares Rivera’s defensive background. Carroll was an all-conference safety at Pacific and was a defensive coordinator for the Jets and 49ers before becoming the Patriots’ coach in 1997.

And as the Seahawks (11-6) and Panthers (15-1) prepare for Sunday’s divisional-round game in Charlotte, Carroll said he appreciates Rivera’s approach – in part because it resembles Seattle’s.

“When you really emphasize defense as Ron has done and you really put your stock in the running game, as they have done and you find yourself with a mobile quarterback, a guy who can do a lot of things, you see a lot of similarities,” Carroll said.

“I feel like this is a fairly classic approach for a defensive guy to take. I’ve watched Ron for a long time and watched him build this program and really respected how he’s done it and we really agree with the formula.”

Seattle became the second team in NFL history to lead the league in points allowed (17.3 ppg this season) in four consecutive years. The Panthers have finished in the top 10 defensively the past four seasons.

The Seahawks have won a franchise-record six consecutive road games, including playoffs. They’ve allowed only one offensive touchdown in 62 possessions over that stretch.

But the Panthers have been just as salty on defense. Their 39 takeaways are tops in the league, and opposing quarterbacks have an NFL-low 73.5 passer rating against Carolina (the Seahawks have the third-best mark at 78.1).

Rivera agrees with Carroll’s characterization of the Panthers’ philosophy and said former defensive coordinators such as Buffalo’s Rex Ryan, the Jets’ Todd Bowles and Minnesota’s Mike Zimmer have taken similar paths.

“It’s controlling the line of scrimmage, controlling the clock, grinding it out. It can be a good formula,” Rivera said. “And we’re fortunate. We have a quarterback that’s dynamic, just like they do. We both have aggressive-style defenses. I do see the similarities.”

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and Seattle’s Russell Wilson both have the ability to beat teams running or throwing. So while both teams like to control the clock to keep their defenses rested and off the field, Newton and Wilson offer the potential for big plays and sudden scores.

Wilson turned a 20-yard loss on a botched snap into a 30-yard pass last week on a play that was the turning point in Seattle’s 10-9 wild-card win at Minnesota.

But Panthers defensive end Jared Allen said Newton and Wilson are much more than just scramblers and improvisers.

“I think people forget with Cam, he can just flat-out throw the ball. Russell can throw the ball as well,” Allen said. “It’s not like you can just take away one aspect of their games. They can beat you with their legs or their arms.”

Critics would point out that Newton and Wilson also don’t have the benefit of throwing to star-studded receiving groups, a perception that Panthers wideout Jerricho Cotchery brought up when asked about the similarities between the teams.

“We’ve (both) got receivers that everybody talks about (as) just average guys,” Cotchery said, laughing. “From the outside looking in, we knew what kind of receivers Seattle had. Doug Baldwin has that juice. (Jermaine) Kearse makes plays. (Tyler) Lockett can fly. But people constantly talk about how they’re not good enough.”

Both teams excel at running the ball and stopping the ball.

The Panthers rank second in rushing offense (142.6 ypg), just ahead of Seattle, which averaged 141.8 yards a game despite Marshawn Lynch missing half the season.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks boast the NFL’s top run defense, limiting opponents to 81.5 rushing yards a game.

The Panthers have rushed for at least 100 yards in 27 consecutive games, the best such streak since the 1970 Steelers. Seattle hasn’t allowed an individual back to run for 100 yards in 27 games, including the postseason.

Something has to give Sunday in the sixth meeting between the teams in the past four seasons. Four of the previous five games were decided by five points or fewer.

“It’s always a hard-nosed game,” said the Seahawks’ Bennett. “You want to see two teams go out in a heavyweight fight, like Mike Tyson against Evander Holyfield.”

Seattle has gone 4-1 vs. the Panthers since 2012 and eliminated Carolina in the divisional round last year en route to the Seahawks’ second consecutive Super Bowl berth. But the Panthers, following a similar formula, beat Seattle 27-23 in October and have the top seed in the playoffs for the first time in team history.

Panthers tight end Greg Olsen said it’s hard not to notice the similarities.

“Pretty hard-nosed teams, pretty good up front on both sides of the ball. Pride themselves on being physical running the ball, power-game running backs. Quarterbacks that add a different dynamic,” he said.

“You can go across the board. Talented players on defense, dynamic players. Obviously they’ve had a lot of success and that’s what we’re trying to have around here.”

This story was originally published January 14, 2016 at 6:23 PM with the headline "Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks look a lot like each other."