Seattle Seahawks studs & duds from another ugly win over Carolina Panthers

The Seattle Seahawks have made a fine art of winning games the ugly way. They did it again today on the road against the Carolina Panthers, despite another awful first half offensively and multiple turnovers from starting quarterback Sam Darnold.

Seattle's defense was more than good enough to carry the extra weight, though. In the end the Seahawks went on to win by a score of 27-10. Here's our studs and duds for Week 17.

Dud: QB Sam Darnold

Sam Darnoldwas not on his A-game in the first half against Carolina. He wasn't playing at a B or C level, either. After coughing up a fumble in the first half, Darnold threw an extra-long club with mustard, onions and giardiniera peppers into the end zone and was picked off by former Seahawks corner Mike Jackson for his 20th turnover of the year. He also stumbled his way into three sacks. Darnold finished the day 18/27 for 147 yards, one touchdown, one pick and a 77.2 passer rating.

Stud: RB Zach Charbonnet

The run game was working, which raises questions why Klint Kubian didn't rely on it more. Ken Walker was efficient enough, but the real explosive star here was Zach Charbonnet. He broke off a 25-yard run on a 3rd and 16, and later a big 29-yard run when the offense desperately needed a punch. Charbonnet ended the game with 110 yards on 18 carries (6.1 yards per attempt) and two TDs.

Stud: TE AJ Barner

With Sam Darnold struggling, Seattle's passing attack had a hard time getting off the ground. One exception to the rule was tight end AJ Barner, who wound up catching all three targets from Darnold, totaling 39 yards and a touchdown. Barner was also able to draw an off-sides penalty with his cadence on a tush-push attempt.

Stud: OLB Uchenna Nwosu

The Seahawks defense was strong all around, but a couple of unsung heroes managed to make some noise today. The first was outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, who had his finest game of the 2025 season to date. Nwosu totaled just two tackles but he also deflected a pass and got to Bryce Young for one of Seattle's two sacks.

Stud: S Ty Okada

Another low-key stud for Seattle's defense was Ty Okada, who started at free safety in place of the injured Coby Bryant. As he did early this season when Julian Love was out, Okada played very well in relief. He posted six total tackles, tied with Love and DeMarcus Lawrence for the team lead.

Stud: OLB DeMarcus Lawrence

One of the regular stars for the Seahawks defense also shined through. Just after Darnold's end-zone pick that could have changed the complexion of the game, DeMarcus Lawrence came through with yet another forced fumble on Chuba Hubbard, which he also recovered. Lawrence followed up with a huge third down sack on Bryce Young in the fourth quarter.