Julian Love, DeMarcus Lawrence takeaways spark Seahawks to 27-10 win at Carolina

From a dreary slog — to the cusp of the NFC West title and top seed throughout the playoffs.

DeMarcus Lawrence and Julian Love did that.

Bogged down in a post-Christmas fog in drizzly Charlotte Sunday, three days after a rare day off for the holiday and playing their first game in 10 days, the Seahawks were in a 3-3 struggle at Carolina. It was the third quarter. Quarterback Sam Darnold had just committed his second turnover of the game, and NFL-worst 20th this season.

On the next play DeMarcus Lawrence, the 12th-year veteran just named to the Pro Bowl in his first season as Seattle’s defensive end, forced and recovered a fumble. Seattle turned that into a 10-3 lead.

On the Panthers ensuing drive, safety Julian Love baited Panthers quarterback Bryce Young into an interception, also in Carolina’s end of the field. Darnold converted that into a touchdown pass to A.J. Barner.

Presto! The Seahawks led 17-3.

After the Panthers cut the lead to 17-10, Jaxon Smith-Njigba drew a key personal-foul facemask penalty on Carolina’s Jaycee Horn as the Seahawks were getting stopped well short on a third and 20. Darnold to Smith-Njigba on a third and 4, his best throw of the day while getting hit, set up his 18-yard dart to Smith-Njigba. Jason Myers’ 30-yard field goal restored the two-score lead. Zach Charbonnet added his second rushing touchdown of the game with 2:31 left to finish the Seahawks’ 27-10 run away from the Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.

The Seahawks came off their epic comeback win in overtime against the Rams Dec. 18 to hold Carolina to just 139 total yards. That’s how they got their 10th win in 11 games, by the strength of their team. Seattle (13-3) can win the NFC West for the first time since 2020 and be the top seed with home field and a first-round bye in the conference playoffs by winning at San Francisco (11-4) next Sunday, in the regular-season finale.

Seattle could also win the division and be the one seed if the 49ers somehow tie the Chicago (11-4) Sunday night plus the Rams (11-4) lose at Atlanta (6-9) Monday night. This is the third 13-win regular season in the Seahawks’ 50-year history, tying their best.

Darnold started 4 for 9. He finished 18 for 27 passing for 147 yards, one touchdown and one interception plus the lost fumble against his former Panthers (8-8), who are fighting Tampa Bay for the NFC South title.

Darnold became the fifth quarterback in NFL history to win at least 13 games in consecutive seasons. The others: Aaron Rodgers for Green Bay from 2019-21, Tom Brady (twice) for New England in 2010-11 and 2003-04, Brett Favre for the Packers of 1996 and ‘97 and Peyton Manning for Denver in 2012 and ‘13.

Darnold is the first to do that with different teams.

Charbonnet had his second 100-yard rushing game in his three-year NFL career for Seattle. He finished with 110 yards on 18 carries.

Smith-Njigba had nine catches on 12 targets for 72 yards — with the perfectly timed penalty he drew to set up the clinching score.

The 23-year-old Smith-Njigba became the third player in NFL history under age 24 with at least 1,700 receiving yards in a season. The third-year veteran and Seattle’s first-round pick in 2023 out of Ohio State joined Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson (1,809 receiving yards in 2022), and Pro Football Hall of Famer Isaac Bruce (1,781 with the 1995 St. Louis Rams).

Turnovers decide games

The Seahawks were driving for the go-ahead score early in the third quarter off Charbonnet’s 29-yard run into the red zone.

Then Darnold threw his 14th interception of the season, for his NFL-leading 20th turnover. He far overthrew covered Smith-Njigba in the back corner of the end zone. Former Seahawks cornerback Mike Jackson intercepted that.

But on the next play, Lawrence punched the ball from Panthers ball carrier Chuba Hubbard. Lawrence grabbed the fumble, for a Seahawks drive start at the Carolina 21.

Seattle turned that into Charbonnet’s 10th rushing touchdown this season, 2 yards on third and goal. The Seahawks led 10-3.

Charbonnet became the first Seahawk since Marshawn Lynch in 2014, the team’s last Super Bowl season, to have double digits in touchdowns in a season.

On the Panthers’ ensuing drive, Love baited Carolina quarterback Bryce Young into an interception on third down. Love let receiver Tet McMillan run behind him to apparently be open. When Young threw the pass, Love sprinted back up the field to easily intercept the throw in front.

Darnold to Barner for the tight end’s sixth touchdown catch this season made it 17-3.

Another Sam Darnold turnover

In the first half, Darnold committed his 19th turnover of the season, continuing to lead the NFL. That’s a huge issue that threatens to derail the Seahawks’ march through the playoffs next month.

On a third down in the second quarter, Darnold was raising his arm to throw when he hit by Carolina’s Nic Scourton and fumbled. The Panthers’ A’Shawn Robinson recovered the ball at the Seahawks 26-yard line.

It was Darnold’s sixth lost fumble to go with 13 interceptions this season.

Seattle defensive tackle Byron Murphy made a huge play to keep Carolina from converting that turnover into a lead. Days after getting snubbed from a Pro Bowl selection, Murphy destroyed the interior of the Panthers’ line on a third and short. That resulted in teammates Leonard Williams and Boye Mafe stopping Chuba Hubbard’s inside run for no gain. Carolina settled for a field goal and a 3-3 tie.

Darnold should have had an interception on Seattle’s first possession of the game. He declined to throw a check-down pass to running back Zach Charbonnet early in the play. Darnold instead rolled out left. His pass went off the helmet of a Panthers defensive lineman, at least the third time this season that’s happened. It deflected right to Carolina’s Jaycee Horn. Fortunately for Darnold and Seattle, Horn allowed the ball to go through both his hands and arms off his stomach to the ground incomplete, deep in Seahawks territory.

Darnold nearly had a third turnover of the half with 1:14 left in it. Cooper Kupp got hit as Darnold’s short pass arrived, by linebacker Claudin Cherelus. The ball caromed to a Panthers defender, for what officials initially ruled an interception. But a replay review showed the defender dropped it, for an incomplete pass.

Seattle ended up giving the ball away on down to end that 2-minute drill late in the half. The Panthers stopped Darnold on a sneak on 4th and 1.

So the half ended in a slog, a 3-3 tie.

Seattle’s lone points in the half came on Jason Myers’ 17th consecutive made field goal, extending his team record with his 38th make of the season. It was Myers’ 25th make in 26 field-goal attempts. His only miss in that span: his frantic 60-yard try on the final play at Los Angeles last month.

Days after selected to his second consecutive Pro Bowl, Darnold missed on five of his first nine passes. He was 8 for 14 for 56 yards in the first half.

This is GM John Schneider's almost-subtle way of supporting Derick Hall, the #Seahawks LB the NFL suspended for today's game at Carolina for stepping on a fallen Rams offensive lineman. https://t.co/qLoDXIQWBs

— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) December 28, 2025

Pro Bowler injured

Seattle wide Rashid Shaheed, selected this past week to the Pro Bowl for his kick and punt returning, was injured late in the first quarter. Former Seahawks cornerback Mike Jackson threw Shaheed far into the Panthers sideline at the end of a catch and run.

Shaheed banged his head off a Panthers player at the sideline following the toss, Jackson threw Sahae well beyond the sideline boundary, through the thick, white painted band around the field’s perimeter.

Shaheed went into the Seahawks locker room during play early in the second quarter, to be further evaluated for a possible concussion. He was ruled out for the rest of the game in the third quarter.

That puts Shaheed’s status for Seattle’s regular-season finale at San Francisco next week in doubt.

WR/Pro Bowl kick returner Rashid Shaheed going into #Seahawks locker room during play early 2Q at Carolina.

He’s being evaluated for a possible concussion. Former Seattle CB Mike Jackson threw him well out of bounds following a catch late 1Q.

Team says questionable to return pic.twitter.com/ABn84z3VBL

— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) December 28, 2025