The press box shook.
When Kam Chancellor put the Seattle Seahawks’ 31-17 divisional playoff win away with a 90-yard interception return – really, it was done long before then, but play along with me – the loudest crowd in the NFL erupted. As Chancellor ran down the near sideline with the longest touchdown in Seahawks playoff history, making the score 31-10, the noise was outrageous and the press box moved, if just a little bit.
This is why the Seahawks are so good. They have players like Chancellor, who isn’t even the first- or second-most celebrated player in the Seahawks' secondary, but he's one of the best strong safeties in the NFL and was awesome on Saturday. And whether it’s the noise, intimidation or just the team on the field, CenturyLink Field is almost impenetrable for opponents.
The Dallas Cowboys won here eariler this season, and who knows, they might do it again. But if the Cowboys or Green Bay Packers (Sunday's winner comes here on Jan. 18) knocks off these Seahawks before they reach a second straight Super Bowl, they’ll have done something special. Panthers-Seahawks was the "other playoff game" on Saturday, mostly because the Seahawks never really allowed the Panthers much hope that they could win.
Seattle didn’t even play all that well and they were coasting, and the game was over before Chancellor’s big interception. The Panthers weren’t coming back from 14 points down on this defense. They gave the Seahawks a tough game, limiting Seattle’s run game. But Russell Wilson made three nice plays for a trio of touchdown passes and the defense handled it from there.
The Seahawks aren't unbeatable, but they look just as strong as they did last season. Seattle has won seven in a row dating back to the regular season, all by double digits, and the Panthers were the first in that streak to score more than 14 points on Seattle. Saturday's performance and the Seahawks' winning streak doesn't mean Seattle is unbeatable. But it's sure looking tougher to picture them losing.
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