Nothing terrifies Seahawks fans more than journeymen backup quarterbacks. Colt McCoy may be their apex predator. Thankfully, he left the division. Nick Foles has hurt them. Sam Darnold has hurt them. The injury status of #1 overall pick Bryce Young may lead wild ginger, Andy Dalton, to take the field as the Panthers starter this week. Brace for it, Hawks fans.

Carolina has had arguably the worst offense in football through two weeks. Their offensive line has been terrible. Their receivers are less appealing than a slice of Little Caesars pizza. Young has been bad as well. Dalton almost certainly would make them a more dangerous offense, but that is starting from a very low level.

This Panthers defense, however, has pretty darn tough. And before you bring up Shaq Thompson being lost to an injury, know that he was far from the best player on that side of the ball. That honor might go to former Coug, Frankie Luvu. Who the hell is Frankie Luvu? I said the same thing when I saw he had four sacks in two games. He has had two in each of the Panthers first two games this year, and recorded one last year when the Panthers humiliated the Seahawks in Seattle.

Carolina has solid edge rushing and a stud inside with Derrick Brown. I’d argue this is a far better pass rush group than what the Seahawks faced in Detroit last week. Seattle will not need to score 30 points to win this game, but they may need to score 25 if Dalton plays and this Seahawks defense remains near the bottom of the league.

Seattle should win this game in almost all scenarios, but we could have said the same about the Rams game in week one. Here’s to hoping Pete Carroll and crew do not overlook this team. No more mulligans.

The way this works: Each offense will be pitted against the opposing defense and compared on an array of key statistical attributes based on their respective rank in the NFL. The tables that follow show the rank of each unit for each of these categories.

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Seahawks Offense vs Lions Defense

Panthers key advantages on defense

Luvu and Brown are big parts of the defense, but it all revolves around edge rusher Brian Burns. He held in during training camp in an attempt to get a new contract and is playing without one. He had two sacks in week one, so he’s as dangerous as ever. He had 6 pressures last year in Seattle, and that was when Charles Cross was playing.

Seahawks key advantages on offense

This may be the week where the Seahawks rush offense gets going. It’s been mostly stuck in neutral this year, yet somehow ranks 6th in rush EPA (expected points added) in the NFL. Carroll has made reference to needing Kenneth Walker to hit the hole, which is really necessary. Zach Charbonnet did a much better job of that versus the Lions, and could be ready to start emerging. The Panthers have surrendered 130+ rushing yards in each of their two games so far.

DK Metcalf enters this week dealing with a rib injury. Will Dissly was a crucial part of the pass blocking success versus the Lions, and may be out with a shoulder problem. Cross is unlikely to make it back, and I would not expect Jason Peters to supplant either Stone Forsythe or Jake Curhan.

The Panthers secondary is built around their quality safety duo in Xavier Woods and Jeremy Chinn. This may be a game where Jaxon Smith-Njigba needs to become more than a third option.

Colby Parkinson and Noah Fant, who is off to a much better start this season, should play significant roles as well.

Seattle has done a great job of protecting the ball, and will need that to continue in this game.

Panthers Offense vs Seahawks Defense

Panthers key advantages on offense

I made the mistake of poking fun at Chuba Hubbard last season. He then went off for 74 yards on 14 carries and another 25 yards as a receiver. He is off to a strong start this season, and will certainly be a big part of the Panthers game plan regardless of who is playing quarterback.

Seahawks key advantages on defense

This is a poorly built offense. There are very few weapons and the line is not good. Young is in way over his head, and that’s not a short joke. Dalton could mask some of the issues with veteran savvy and identifying reads faster.

Generally, I expect the Seahawks defense to take a step forward this week, particularly on 3rd down, where they have been one of the worst in the league.

Seattle has played excellent run defense. They need to do that again this week. If they simply maintain their standard there from the first two weeks, it dramatically drops the Panthers chances of a second embarrassing upset.