'Haven't seen many defenses like' Seattle Seahawks'

The Seattle Seahawks’ defense returned to its dominant form in a 27-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Seahawks win | Instant Reaction | Box score

The Panthers were stuck in neutral against Seattle’s stout unit for nearly the entirety of the game. Quarterback and former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young was held to a season-low 54 passing yards, which was also the lowest number in any of his 43 career starts. At halftime, he had just 16 yards through the air.

The Seahawks contained Carolina’s strong rushing game while allowing 99 yards on 3.8 yards per carry, both well below the Panthers’ season averages. In total, Carolina produced just 139 yards of total offense.

And the defense came up with a couple of huge takeaways along the way. After Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold threw an interception in the end zone on the opening drive of the third quarter tied 3-3, veteran DeMarcus Lawrence forced and recovered a fumble on the very next play to set up a short Seahawks TD drive. Julian Love came up with an interception on the Panthers’ next drive and ran it back 29 yards to set up another short TD drive.

Things you love to see. 😏 @_jlove20 with the INT

📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/mCe38vl5tB

— x – Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 28, 2025

All of the sudden, the Seahawks were up 17-3 and firmly in control.

It was yet another strong game from Seattle’s defense, which has held three of its past five opponents to 10 points or fewer. Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard showered the unit with some lofty praise after the victory.

“We know Super Bowl-winning defense. We’ve seen it in Seattle before in ‘13. We’re watching Super Bowl-winning defense with this crew, and it’s everybody tied together in incredible ways,” Huard said. “Carolina had 11 drives, 10 of those drives did absolutely nothing. … Bryce Young (had) never seen a defense like this one. Frankly, we haven’t seen many defenses like this one in all of our years watching these Seattle Seahawks.”

Huard also noted that a fourth-down conversion on Carolina’s lone TD drive was all that separated Seattle’s defense from allowing under 100 total yards in the game.

“I throw in 35 rushing attempts (and) a career day from Zach Charbonnet, a couple of sacks, a couple takeaways – just complementary ball,” Huard added. “I mean, you run out of things to say each and every week with this team, but let’s not ever, ever take for granted 13 wins. Thirteen wins in the regular season, one to go to get the No. 1 seed and have these playoffs go through Seattle.”

‘Haven’t seen many defenses like’ Seattle Seahawks’

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