Seattle Seahawks takeaways from sixth-straight win vs. Panthers

Young has been way better this season than in either of his first two NFL seasons. The Seahawks sent him back to a younger version of himself, holding the former No. 1 overall pick to just 54 passing yards on the day.

Seattle originally broke a 3-3 tie after scoring touchdowns on back-to-back Panthers turnovers. Lawrence forced another fumble and nearly scored his third touchdown of the season, and Julian Love intercepted Young on a pass down the sideline.

Unsurprisingly, it was the defense that fueled the win for the Seahawks. And that will have to continue into the playoffs if Seattle wants to compete for a Super Bowl.

Darnold’s turnovers keep coming

Already leading the NFL in turnovers, Darnold had two more on Sunday. He fumbled in the first half and threw an interception in the end zone to former Seahawks cornerback Mike Jackson in the third quarter. Darnold now has 20 total turnovers on the season.

It’s a miracle the Seahawks are as good as they are with all the giveaways. They entered Week 17 with the second-most turnovers by any team, but they’ve won 13 games this season. Their three losses have been by a combined nine points.

Darnold is to blame for much of the offense’s slow starts. But he’s also been good enough to get the Seahawks in the position they’re currently in. That’s a huge credit to Mike Macdonald’s defense as well.

Zach Charbonnet’s big day

It’s been a disappointing season for Charbonnet, who entered the season with expectations of potentially taking over the lead running back role. Instead, he has averaged just 3.7 yards per carry this season and has continued to be firmly behind Kenneth Walker III in production.

That wasn’t the case on Sunday. Charbonnet totaled 18 carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Seahawks to 163 total yards on the ground — their third highest total of the season.

Charbonnet has a career-high 11 touchdowns this season, making him the first Seahawks running back to reach double-digit scores in a season since Marshawn Lynch. He’s been Seattle’s best red zone option.

Slow stretches for the Seahawks’ offense can be attributed to offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak's commitment to the run, but it also benefits the team as the game progresses. It wears down the defense, and a once-bad rushing team has now found its stride late in the season.

Week 18 plan is simple

All the Seahawks need to do to earn the No. 1 seed is beat the 49ers in Week 18. They earned the right to control their own destiny with the overtime win against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 16, and they kept that pace with the win over Carolina.

Seattle can clinch the NFC West if the Rams and 49ers both lose this week. The Seahawks can also still clinch the top seed this week if the 49ers and Bears tie, and the Rams lose.

A lot of scenarios exist. But most of the ways the Seahawks can clinch this week are far-fetched. It will likely come down to winning their final game of the season.

The date and time for the Seahawks and 49ers game next week is yet to be determined.