SEATTLE — Quarterback Russell Wilson threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns as the defending champion Seattle Seahawks moved one step closer to another Super Bowl appearance with a 31-17 win over the Carolina Panthers in Saturday night’s NFC semifinal playoff game.
Wilson’s 29-yard touchdown pass to tight end Luke Willson with 10:26 remaining put the Seahawks in control, giving Seattle a 24-10 lead, then safety Kam Chancellor returned an interception 90 yards for a touchdown to finish off the Panthers.
Carolina quarterback Cam Newton completed 23 of 36 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns but also threw two interceptions. A third interception, by Seattle safety Earl Thomas in the closing seconds of the first half, was overturned after a replay showed that he lost control of the ball as he hit the ground.
The Panthers’ offense put up a surprising challenge for most of the game, with 362 total yards, but Seattle’s 17 unanswered points over the opening 10 minutes of the fourth quarter turned the game into a blowout.
Wilson completed 15 of 22 passes for 268 yards — he was 8 for 8 for 199 yards and three touchdowns on third downs — and also threw touchdown passes to receivers Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse.
Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch had 59 yards on 14 carries. Carolina’s Jonathan Stewart rushed 13 times for 70 yards.
Seattle will host the winner of Sunday’s game between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys in next weekend’s NFC Championship Game.
Two Wilson touchdown passes led the Seahawks to a 14-10 halftime lead.
The Panthers turned the ball over twice in the first quarter, with the second one leading to a Seattle touchdown.
Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett forced a fumble on a handoff exchange, with teammate Tony McDaniel recovering at the Carolina 28-yard line. Four plays later, Wilson floated a 16-yard touchdown pass to Baldwin to give the Seahawks a 7-0 lead with 56 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Carolina answered with a 14-play, 79-yard drive that resulted in a 7-yard touchdown pass from Newton to receiver Kelvin Benjamin, tying the score 7-7.
But the Seahawks responded less than three minutes later, with Wilson hitting Kearse on a 63-yard touchdown pass to put Seattle ahead 14-7 with 4:54 remaining in the half.
Carolina kicker Graham Gano hit a 35-yard field goal on the final snap of the half, pulling the Panthers to within 14-10 after a bizarre final series.
The Seahawks were originally given a drive-ending interception with 23 seconds left in the half, but a replay showed that Thomas never had possession of the ball. One play later, Gano lined up for a 35-yard field goal, which was wiped out by a false-start penalty. Seattle safety Kam Chancellor blocked Gano’s try from 40 yards out but was flagged for roughing the kicker. Gano then made good from 35 yards out to end the half.