Panthers hold off Seahawks; Broncos top Steelers in NFL playoffs

The Carolina Panthers dominated the Seattle Seahawks in the first half and then held off a furious comeback by the twotime defending NFC champions to win 3124, while the Denver Broncos advanced to the AFC Championship Game with a 2316 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton threw one touchdown pass and running back Jonathan Stewart, who returned after missing three games with a left foot injury, rushed for two scores to lead the home team to a 310 advantage at halftime of Sunday’s game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

Stewart was the key factor in the first half for the Panthers, who finished the regular season with a 151 record, sending the crowd into a frenzy when he rushed for 59 yards on the game’s first play from scrimmage.

He finished the game with 19 rushes for 109 yards, although he and the rest of the Panthers’ offense were held in check in the second half.

Newton completed 16 of his 22 pass attempts for 161 yards and did not allow an interception during Sunday afternoon’s contest.

The Panthers also got a firsthalf touchdown on a pick6 by star linebacker Luke Kuechly that, with the extra point, gave the home team a 140 lead.

The Seahawks, meanwhile, finally got rolling in the second half, with quarterback Russell Wilson throwing three unanswered touchdown passes to narrow the gap to 3121.

The visitors then closed to within a touchdown thanks to a 36yard field goal by Steven Hauschka, although the home crowd’s concern turned to relief when the Panthers recovered an onside kick with 1:12 left in regulation.

In the end the Seahawks, who qualified for the playoffs as a wild card after finishing 106, turned in the same JekyllandHyde performance that dogged them for much of the season and eventually cost them a third consecutive trip to the Super Bowl.

The Panthers, meanwhile, will continue on to the NFC Championship Game, in which they will host the Arizona Cardinals on Jan. 24.

In Sunday’s other NFL playoff game, the Denver Broncos turned in a strong defensive performance once again to overcome a gritty Pittsburgh Steelers team, which took the lead in the first quarter and did not give it up until late in the fourth.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 339 yards at Sports Authority Field in Denver despite torn ligaments in his throwing arm and seemed to be leading the visitors on a fourthquarter scoring drive that would have put further pressure on the Broncos.

But a costly fumble by Fitzgerald Toussaint with less than 10 minutes remaining gave new life to the Broncos, who responded with a 65yard touchdown drive that gobbled up nearly seven minutes on the clock and ended with a oneyard touchdown run by C.J. Anderson.

A successful twopoint conversion on a pass from quarterback Peyton Manning to Demaryius Thomas gave the Broncos a 2013 lead, and they held on for the victory.

The Steelers also were forced to play without superstar wide receiver Antonio Brown, who was out with a concussion, and top running back DeAngelo Williams, who had an injured foot.

The Broncos will host the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in the AFC title game, which will be the 17th matchup overall and fifth in the playoffs between Manning and fellow veteran superstar quarterback Tom Brady.

Brady has come out on top in 11 of the 16 contests, although their teams have each won twice in the playoffs.