Panthers–Seahawks rivalry

The NFL series between Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks will become the "next great NFL rivalry" according to Rolling Stone magazine. Both franchises have combined for 5 Super Bowl appearances, 22 playoff appearances, and 15 division championships (9 for Seattle and 6 for Carolina). Seattle leads the series 8–4. The series has been called "must see TV," while quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Cam Newton have drawn comparisons to the Tom Brady–Peyton Manning rivalry.

History
The Panthers and Seahawks first played each other in 2000, with Carolina winning in a blowout. The first playoff matchup between both teams dates back to the 2005 NFC Championship game.[7] The Seahawks won, defeating the Panthers team 34–14 and advancing to Super Bowl XL. At that point in time, neither team considered the other a major rival. The rivalry developed from games played in 2012, 2013, and 2014. These games were very close, low-scoring contests with one or two big plays late in the game deciding the outcome. Seattle won all three games. The teams met again in the divisional round of the 2014 playoffs where the Seahawks knocked off the Panthers 31–17.[13] The Panthers beat the Seahawks twice during the 2015 season, once during their regular season matchup in Week 5 by a score of 27–23 and again in the divisional playoffs where they won 31–24 en route to their Super Bowl 50 appearance.[14]