SEATTLE -- After beating the Arizona Cardinals last Saturday, the Carolina Panthers became the sixth team with a .500 record or worse to win a playoff game since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
History says their improbable run will end Saturday in Seattle with a mighty thud. Each of those previous six teams that won a first round playoff game lost their divisional round game by double digits, according to ESPN Stats and Info.
It happened to the 2010 Seattle Seahawks, the only team besides the Panthers to make the postseason with a losing record. After going 7-9, the Seahawks defeated the New Orleans Saints, 41-36, in the wild card round.
The Seahawks traveled to Chicago the following week and lost to the Bears 35-24. The game really wasn't even that close. Chicago had a 28-3 lead after three quarters.
If history holds this weekend, it will be quite a reversal from recent games between the Seahawks and Panthers. They've met in each of the last three seasons in Carolina. Seattle won all three with an average margin of victory of 4.3 points. No team scored more than 16 points in those three meetings.
Seattle was listed Monday as a 10 ½-point favorite for Saturday's game.
The other .500 teams to win a playoff game and lose the next week:
2004: St. Louis Rams defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 27-20, then lost to the Atlanta Falcons, 47-17.
2004: Minnesota Vikings defeated the Green Bay Packers, 31-17, then lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-14.
2008: San Diego Chargers defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 23-17, then lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 35-24.
2011: Denver Broncos defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 29-23 -- remember Tim Tebow's 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime? – then lost to the New England Patriots, 45-10.
http://www.king5.com/story/sports/nfl/s ... /21294149/
History says their improbable run will end Saturday in Seattle with a mighty thud. Each of those previous six teams that won a first round playoff game lost their divisional round game by double digits, according to ESPN Stats and Info.
It happened to the 2010 Seattle Seahawks, the only team besides the Panthers to make the postseason with a losing record. After going 7-9, the Seahawks defeated the New Orleans Saints, 41-36, in the wild card round.
The Seahawks traveled to Chicago the following week and lost to the Bears 35-24. The game really wasn't even that close. Chicago had a 28-3 lead after three quarters.
If history holds this weekend, it will be quite a reversal from recent games between the Seahawks and Panthers. They've met in each of the last three seasons in Carolina. Seattle won all three with an average margin of victory of 4.3 points. No team scored more than 16 points in those three meetings.
Seattle was listed Monday as a 10 ½-point favorite for Saturday's game.
The other .500 teams to win a playoff game and lose the next week:
2004: St. Louis Rams defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 27-20, then lost to the Atlanta Falcons, 47-17.
2004: Minnesota Vikings defeated the Green Bay Packers, 31-17, then lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-14.
2008: San Diego Chargers defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 23-17, then lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 35-24.
2011: Denver Broncos defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 29-23 -- remember Tim Tebow's 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime? – then lost to the New England Patriots, 45-10.
http://www.king5.com/story/sports/nfl/s ... /21294149/
