As the Seahawks took down the Panthers, Jaxon Smith-Njigba joined some elite company in Justin Jefferson and Isaac Bruce.

Sunday result: Carolina was unable to clinch the NFC South on Sunday, falling to Seattle in an 27-10 loss. This result officially sets up a winner-take-all battle between the Panthers and Buccaneers for the NFC South title in Tampa next Sunday.

The Seattle Seahawks, led by quarterback Sam Darnold, face the Carolina Panthers, led by quarterback Bryce Young, on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.

Sam Darnold found AJ Barner for a 17-yard touchdown and now the Seahawks lead the Panthers 17-3 with 5:32 left in the third quarter. Back to back turnovers from DeMarcus Lawrence and Julian Love have fueled Seattle's sudden burst of momentum.

The Seahawks and Panthers have both over-performed in comparison to preseason expectations, and that's especially true when it comes to their records against the spread. Seattle is 10-5 ATS this year while Carolina is 9-6. The Seahawks have seen nine of their 15 games go Over the total, while the Panthers are 7-8 to the Over this year.

Not only can the Seahawks clinch the NFC West in Week 17, but Seattle can also clinch the top spot in the NFC this weekend, locking up the lone bye week in the conference playoffs. However, the Seahawks will need a lot of help from their division rivals to reach those two goals.

The Seattle Seahawks, on the other hand, have a 12-3 record, and their point differential of +164 leads the NFL. Seattle has topped 30 points in five of its last eight games and three of the last four road games.

The New England Patriots already knew they were headed to the playoffs. Now they know they are AFC East champions.