WANTED & UNWANTED » the Seahawks offense watches on the

ORCHARD PARK Greedy Williams Jersey , N.Y. (AP) — Matt Patricia had no time to reflect on missing the playoffs for just the second time during 15 NFL seasons.For one, this isn’t New England, where the rookie Detroit Lions coach spent his first 14 seasons as an assistant. And, Patricia said, there are still two games left for the Lions to play.“I’m not going to put anything into summation,” Patricia said after a 14-13 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday mathematically eliminated the Lions from contention.“I think we’re going to be focused on this game and trying to make sure to analyze this game and where we can get better,” he added. “There’s a lot of areas that we can work on.”The Lions fell to 5-9 and will miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season, while also guaranteed a losing record for the first time since a 7-9 finish in 2015.The result was indicative of an injury-depleted roster and a team in transition. Leading rusher Kerryon Johnson missed his fourth straight game with a knee injury. Detroit was also dealing with a patchwork group of receivers with Marvin Jones on injured reserve, Bruce Ellington out with a hamstring injury and Golden Tate traded to Philadelphia in October.Though Kenny Golladay had a career-best 146 yards receiving, Detroit punted on six of its final possessions in squandering a 13-7 lead in the fourth quarter.Bills rookie Josh Allen hit undrafted rookie receiver Robert Foster for a 42-yard touchdown with 10:26 remaining. And Allen sealed the victory by leaping for a 2-yard gain to convert a fourth-and-1 at Detroit’s 41 with 1:47 left.And the Lions’ usually reliable special teams also cost them.Detroit opened the scoring on Stafford’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Andy Jones, but botched the extra-point attempt on Don Muhlbach’s bad snap.“Awful. I didn’t do my job right,” Muhlbach said, noting he had difficulty raising the ball off the ground. “I let everybody down.”Then http://www.ravensfootballauthentics.com/justice-hill-jersey-authentic , following Foster’s touchdown, Stafford responded by marching the Lions 45 yards on the next possession only to have kicker Matt Prater miss a 48-yard field goal wide right.“I don’t have an excuse,” said Prater, who entered having hit his previous 14 field-goal attempts. “You want to come through and make plays for your team when you get the opportunity. And it’s frustrating not to.”Patricia said there was plenty of blame to go around.“There’s plenty of situations out there on the field where we could do more to do better to help us win,” Patricia said. “It starts with me. Have to go out and execute better.”Though Stafford finished 22 of 29 for 208 yards passing and a touchdown, the Lions’ offense all but dried up in the second half. Detroit managed just 117 yards offense and five first downs over the final two quarters.That was particularly apparent on what proved to be Detroit’s final possession. The Lions gained just 2 yards in going three-and-out in punting from their own 33 with 2:56 left.“We had our chances and opportunities and just didn’t make enough plays as a team,” Stafford said.“Yeah, it’s frustrating. You play this game for the opportunity for the playoffs and a chance to win the whole thing,” he added. “So any time that gets taken away from you, it’s disappointing.” Las Vegas may have placed the odds dramatically against the Carolina Panthers advancing any further this post-season, but the Seattle Seahawks are not be taking their divisional playoff match this Saturday lightly. Pete Carroll told the Charlotte Observer this week that Seattle was “lucky to get away with a win” in their Oct. 26 meeting in Charlotte, a narrow 13-9 victory made possible by a Wilson-Willson connection with 47 seconds remaining.In fact, the past three match-ups between Carolina and Seattle have been nail-biters in the Seahawks’ favour Ben Powers Jersey , with a margin of victory smaller than a touchdown in each game. All three of those games were hosted by Carolina however, who haven’t visited the Emerald City since 2010 — long before the new age of Seahawk football, which has allowed visiting opponents only a pair of wins in the past three seasons.Both teams enter the contest on a roll — Seattle on a six-game winning streak, with wins in nine of their last 10 games, and Carolina with five in a row after turning things around following a disastrous October/November. That said, none of those five victories should have posed a threat to any playoff-bound team: four teams below .500 and an Arizona Cardinals club forced to once again start third-string QB Ryan Lindley. Seattle, meanwhile, faced tougher opponents down the stretch and were able to post road victories in Philadelphia and San Francisco.So can the Panthers manage to keep things close on Seattle’s home turf? Will Russell Wilson’s dual-threat prowess prove too much for Sean McDermott’s defence? Is the Seahawks’ league-best D — Bobby Wagner, in particular — strong enough to keep sizzling Panthers’ RB Jonathan Stewart in check? More importantly, will the great Seattle-Charlotte mayoral wager see Seattle mayor Ed Murray send a gift basket of grunge-rock vinyl to North Carolina?Why Seattle can win: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY SportsIt’s no secret that Cam Newton is not having a season for the ages: career lows for yards passing and rushing, the most turnovers since his rookie campaign and an 82.1 quarterback rating (also a career-low). A perennial late-season bloomer, Newton and the Panthers once again turned things around in December. But after a four-touchdown statement game against New Orleans, Newton was hit with another setback when he sustained two fractures in his back when his truck rolled over in Charlotte.But with three solid starts under his belt since the accident http://www.ravensfootballauthentics.com/iman-marshall-jersey-authentic , Newton is getting back on track. Still, it was clear in last week’s game against Arizona that he is not 100%, grimacing after getting popped on more than one occasion. Seattle needs to get after him right from the kick-off and administer a few good licks from the start. CenturyLink Field is a hell of a venue for Newton’s first NFL post-season game on the road, and Seattle’s 12th Man won’t be going easy on him. When hurried, Newton’s passes often stray from the target, as we saw as recently as last week. Seattle’s pass rush needs to be on its game, and with DT Jordan Hill going down with a calf-pull, Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett will be in the spotlight. Seahawks defence will also have to keep on its toes and watch for the option, or another Panther-esque trick play.On offense, Russell Wilson should keep doing what he does best: keep the defense guessing every single play. There’s no doubt this will be a brutal, hard-hitting game on both sides, so Wilson will need to be quick in the pocket. WR Paul Richardson would be an ideal target against the Panthers’ defense — if he can turn on the jets like he has the last four games, Wilson can air-mail the ball all the quicker.The return of two-time Pro Bowl center Max Unger is monumental for the Seahawks offensive line. Unger Trace McSorley Jersey , who was sidelined with an ankle injury in October, was just one of eventually four Seahawks to slot in at centre this season. His return will come as a relief for Russell Wilson, who carried a heavier responsibility of setting blocking assignments in his absence. The run game will also benefit- without Unger, the Seahawks averaged nearly 50 fewer rushing yards per game. Even his presence should bring comfort and reassurance to an already-shaky offensive line.Why Carolina can win: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY SportsIf the Panthers can feed off of last week’s record-breaking defensive effort that saw them allow only 78 total yards, they’ll be getting off to a good start. Granted they weren't up against an offensive powerhouse, but any momentum heading into Seattle is in their favour. Luke Kuechly had a strong game with an interception and 10 tackles, and it will be largely up to him in keeping Marshawn Lynch’s beast mode under wraps. Lynch has been given fewer touches in the last three games, but he has been just as effective, notching at least one touchdown each game.It may be a gamble but Carolina needs to apply pressure on Russell Wilson early in the game and get him scrambling. While his presence as a dual threat is a weapon to be wary, there is no room for conservative play against this offense. Seattle led the NFL in penalties for a second straight season, so if the Panthers can draw offensive flags and hem them back on a few fourth downs, it could provide the break they need.Perhaps the best game plan on defense is to keep Wilson on the sidelines as much as possible (no I don’t mean to go for his knees!). Jonathan Stewart has been on fire leading up to the playoffs, so feed him the ball and work the ground game. Eat up the clock and keep the chains moving. The Panthers Kyler Murray Jersey , obviously, want to play and win with their own game, but every second the Seahawks offense watches on the sidelines is a small victory. Not only were Jamaal Charles and DeMarco Murray the only two running backs with 100+ rushing yards against Seattle this year, they led their team to victory for two of the Seahawks’ four losses.If the defense can keep the game close, then Newton needs to have the game of his life to complete an upset for the ages. I’m not just talking performance — he needs to step up and lead his team over the noise of the crowd. He needs to extend plays with his legs, work the clock intelligently and stay cool under pressure. Most importantly, he needs to play his game and not be (too) intimidated by the Legion of Boom — although a little intimidation is okay, smart even.