NFC Divisional Playoff Game
Kickoff: Saturday, 8:15 p.m. ET
Line: Seattle -10.5, Total: 39.5

The Seahawks look to make their first step towards a Super Bowl repeat when they host the Panthers on Saturday night.

Here is the BetDSI Sportsbook betting preview for this matchup:

Carolina hosted Arizona in the opening round of the NFC playoffs last week and won 27-16 as a 7-point home favorite, giving the club five straight SU victories (3-2 ATS). But the competition gets much tougher on Saturday versus a Seattle team that has allowed only 6.5 PPG during a current six-game win streak (SU and ATS). This does not include when the Seahawks topped the Panthers 13-9 in Charlotte on Oct. 26, giving them four straight SU wins (3-1 ATS) in this head-to-head series. The last time Carolina beat Seattle was Dec. 16, 2007. The Seahawks have won all three of their home games against the Panthers dating back to 2004. The past three games played between these teams have finished Under the total with scores of 16-12, 12-7 and 13-9. Over the past three seasons, Carolina is 11-2 ATS revenging a loss against an opponent and is also 21-9 ATS after allowing 99 or less rushing yards in three straight games since 1992. Seattle, meanwhile, is 11-2 ATS in all games where the total is between 35.5 and 42 points over the past two seasons. The team is also 9-1 ATS after allowing 17 points or less in two straight games in that timeframe. The Panthers have two players questionable for Sunday in speedy WR Philly Brown (shoulder) and S Thomas DeCoud (hamstring), but LB A.J. Klein (ankle) is probable to suit up. C Max Unger (knee), WR Jermaine Kearse (hamstring), TE Cooper Helfet (ribs), DE Demarcus Dobbs (ankle) and CB Tharold Simon (shoulder) are all listed as questionable for the Seahawks.

Can Seattle cover the monster spread on Saturday night? For the answer, connect to NFL Best Bets for all the StatFox Experts picks throughout the 2014-15 playoffs. The experts started the postseason a perfect 4-0 ATS. StatFox Gary predicted the Panthers to cover, making him a stellar 68% ATS (23-11-1) in Best Bets since Week 9. StatFox Scott forecasted a big win for the Colts, and is now 55% ATS (34-28-2) in Best Bets during since Week 3. StatFox Brian nailed both ATS winners in the NFC (Panthers and Lions) during Wild Card week, predicting a 10-point Carolina win on an actual 11-point margin, and also predicted the Detroit-Dallas score to be 23-20 for a final score that was 24-20. Brian is now 63% ATS (10-6) in NFL Best Bets since Week 14..

The Panthers are one of the hottest teams in football and they are coming off of a relatively dominant performance against the Cardinals last week. The defense held a short-handed Arizona team to just 78 yards of total offense and 3-of-12 on third-down conversions. They would not allow their opponent to move the ball, and they also were able to force three turnovers. Things won’t be as easy against this Seahawks offense, but Carolina's confidence is likely sky-high after back-to-back impressive outings. QB Cam Newton (3,127 pass yards, 18 TD, 12 INT) threw for 198 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in the victory last week. Newton took a beating though, so it will be important that he rests up and gets healthy for Saturday’s game. He struggled in the loss to the Seahawks earlier in the year, throwing for just 171 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. TE Greg Olsen (84 rec, 1,008 yards, 6 TD) and WR Kelvin Benjamin (73 rec, 1,008 yards, 9 TD) will be the ones that need to make plays for this team in the passing game. They combined for just seven catches and 70 yards against the Cardinals and must do better against Seattle. RB Jonathan Stewart (809 rush yards, 3 TD) rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown against Arizona last week. He is on a tear recently with 524 rush yards on 5.1 YPC in the past five games, and could really wear out the Seahawks defensive line if he is able to find some holes on Saturday.

Seattle finished the regular season winning six straight games and nine of its final 10 contests. Defensively, this team is as good as any with the NFL's top-ranked passing defense and the third-ranked rushing defense in the league. The club will try to force mistakes from Cam Newton in this game, while relying heavily on QB Russell Wilson (3,475 pass yards, 20 TD, 7 INT) threw for 199 yards with a touchdown and one interception in the last meeting with Carolina. He also rushed six times for 35 yards in that victory. Wilson will need to make plays in this game, especially since the defense will need to be focusing a lot of its attention towards RB Marshawn Lynch (1,306 rush yards, 13 TD). Lynch rushed for 4 TD over the final three weeks of the regular season. He did, however, rush for just 62 yards (4.4 YPC) in the win over the Panthers earlier in the year. Lynch is as tough of a runner as there is in the entire NFL and he’ll need to be ripping through opposing defensive lines for his team to succeed in the postseason. While Wilson is extremely talented, head coach Pete Carroll wants his team to win behind a ground-and-pound offense. WR Doug Baldwin (66 rec, 825 yards, 3 TD) will be relied upon to make some plays in the passing game on Saturday. He has 10 catches for 156 yards over the past two games, and will likely be the most targeted receiver in this offense on Saturday.