Carolina @ Seattle preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 26, 2014 ) Seattle 13, Carolina 9

The Seattle Seahawks are in the pole position as they prepare to defend their Super Bowl title with a matchup against the visiting Carolina Panthers on Saturday night. The Seahawks closed the regular season with a six-game winning streak to earn the No. 1 seed for the second year in a row. “We’re exactly where we want to be,” quarterback Russell Wilson said. “To be going into the playoffs, have a first-round bye and be the No. 1 team in the NFC, that’s what you want."

The Panthers are the only team to advance to the playoffs with a losing record, but the NFC South champions are also on a roll with five consecutive victories after dispatching Arizona 27-16 last week in the wild card round. While Seattle features the league's top-ranked defense, Carolina has been a close second during the late-season sprint - not allowing more than 17 points during the five-game run. The Seahawks are 4-0 against the Panthers since 2010, including victories at Carolina in each of the past three seasons by an average margin of 4.3 points.

TV: 8:15 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Seahawks -10.5. O/U: 39.5

ABOUT THE PANTHERS (8-8-1): Carolina set a postseason record by limiting the Cardinals to 78 total yards last week, but suffered a huge blow when starting defensive tackle Star Lotulelei fractured his foot in Tuesday's practice and is expected to be sidelined for at least two weeks. Cam Newton, who was held to 171 passing yards and an interception in a 13-9 loss to Seattle in Week 8, has seven touchdowns versus two interceptions over the past four games while running back Jonathan Stewart has rushed for at least 122 yards on three occasions during the winning streak. Rookie Kelvin Benjamin and tight end Greg Olsen each had over 1,000 yards while linebacker Luke Kuechly, the NFL's top tackler, leads a defense that has allowed 12.8 points over the past five contests.

ABOUT THE SEAHAWKS (12-4): Seattle leads the league in allowed points (15.9), total yards (267.1) and passing yards (185.6), but has raised its game to another level over the final six weeks, yielding an average of a scant 6.5 points and holding four opponents without a touchdown. Wilson, called an MVP candidate by Panthers coach Ron Rivera, threw a 23-yard touchdown pass in the last minute to beat Carolina in October and rushed for over 100 yards on three occasions to add a dangerous dimension to a ground game powered by Marshawn Lynch. Coming off his fourth straight 1,000-yard season, Lynch ran for a career-best 13 touchdowns and gets back a key blocker in Pro Bowl center Max Unger, who has been sidelined since suffering a high-ankle sprain at Kansas City on Nov. 16.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Wilson is an NFL-best 24-2 at home (playoffs included) in the past three seasons.

2. The Panthers averaged 199.3 yards rushing in December and rolled up 188 against Arizona.

3. It's the first playoff meeting between teams who allowed 17 points of fewer over the past five weeks since Cleveland-New England in January 1995.

PREDICTION: Seahawks 27, Panthers 13