The road to Super Bowl XLIX will lead through Seattle as the Carolina Panthers and reigning world champion Seattle Seahawks will battle in the NFC Divisional game on Saturday night.

The defending Super Bowl champions are expected to run away with this game, but the Panthers are out to prove the doubters wrong.

This game gives football fans a matchup of two young quarterbacks and two great defenses. The winner of this game will face the winner of the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game.

Let's break down the teams and see who has the edge.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks are trying to win their second consecutive Super Bowl. Standing in their way is the Panthers, who snuck in to the playoffs, despite having a losing record this season. The Seahawks finished the season with a 12-4 record and the No. 1 seed in the NFC, giving them home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The road to the Super Bowl goes through Seattle, again.

In Week 8 the Seahawks defeated the Panthers, 13-9. That victory may not appear very convincing, but that Week 8 game was played in Charlotte, North Carolina. Now, the Seahawks will be playing at home with one of the loudest crowds behind them.

To no one's surprise, the Seahawks had the No. 1 defense in the NFL for a second consecutive year. The Seahawks defense allowed the fewest yards, points, passing yards and first downs in the league. With Richard Sherman and the "Legion of Boom" secondary shutting down quarterbacks, Pete Carroll has this team looking like last year's squad.

Running back Marshawn Lynch guided the Seahawks to the No. 1 rushing attack in the NFL this season with his 1,306 yards on the ground. Quarterback Russell Wilson also ran for 849 yards. Lynch and Wilson combined for 19 rushing touchdowns this season. The Seahawks have won nine of their last 10 games overall.

As long as the Seahawks keep running the ball and play elite defense, they should be just fine. Middle linebacker Bobby Wagner has been playing outstanding lately forcing fumbles, getting to the quarterback and making crucial tackles.

Carolina Panthers

As non-convincing as 8-8-1 may look, the Panthers did win the NFC South over the New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons. Last week, in the NFC Divisional round, the Panthers defeated the Arizona Cardinals, 27-16

Playing in Seattle will be tough, but this Panthers franchise is 4-2 in their six road playoff games.

The Panthers defense (which ranked No. 2 last year) has been playing terrific lately. The Panthers have not allowed more than 17 points in their last five consecutive games. Linebacker Luke Kuechly leads this defensive unit, that became the first team to ever win the NFC South back to back years.

As good as the Panthers defense is, the offense will have to step up and make plays. That, of course, begins with quarterback Cam Newton. Newton, like Wilson, is a duel threat quarterback who can make plays with his arm and legs. If the Panthers are going to have any shot of pulling off this upset, Newton is going to have to play the game of his life.

With Steve Smith on the Baltimore Ravens, rookie Kelvin Benjamin is now the best wide receiver for the Panthers. He and tight end Greg Olsen each finished this season with exactly 1,008 receiving yards.

The biggest factor for the Panthers will be turnovers. There's no shame in punting and kicking field goals, thus playing a defensive game to the finish. Turning over the ball will certainly end the Panthers season.

Schedule, Where to Watch

The Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks will play each other on Saturday, Jan. 10, at 8:15 p.m. EST on FOX. The game will be played at Century Link Field in Seattle, Washington. You can view a live game stream here.

Predictions

In the end, it is what it is. The Seahawks are the No. 1 seed with home-field advantage, and the Panthers are just an average football team traveling nearly 3,000 miles away from their home. The Panthers offense will struggle to score, and the crowd noise will be high. I don't see the Panthers scoring more than a touchdown in this game. Sorry, no upset here.

Seahawks win 24-10

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