NFC CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

January 20, 2006 4:00 PM ET

Carolina Panthers (13-5) at Seattle Seahawks (14-3)

The Emerald City will play host to the NFC Championship game on Sunday when John Fox's squad will attempt to win its third consecutive road playoff game and advance to the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, the Seahawks are just hoping to get to Sunday without having to deal with any additional off-field distractions.

When the Panthers have the ball: Having to go with your third-string runner in the NFC Championship is less than ideal, but that's exactly the predicament the Panthers find themselves in. The latest starting tailback in Carolina is Nick Goings. He took over the starting gig by default last week when DeShaun Foster snapped his ankle while being tackled by a Bears defender. Fantasy owners may recall that Goings assumed the same role last year after Stephen Davis and Foster suffered season-ending injuries.

In 2004, Goings started eight games took 217 carries for 821 yards and six touchdowns. He's more comparable to Davis than Foster in that he doesn't have great speed, yet has the strength and size to overpower defenders. Nick returned to his familiar role as the backup fullback this season. He saw limited action at tailback and finished the year with 37 carries for 133 yards.

The Seahawks defense held the Redskins to 59 rushing yards last week. As such, Goings will have his work cut out for him when he faces a unit that finished the regular season ranked fifth against the run. Furthermore, the Seahawks haven't ceded a rushing touchdown at home since way back in week two. They held Clinton Portis out of the end zone last week, and will likely do the same to Goings on Sunday.

In order for the Panthers to win this game, they'll most likely need another standout performance from Steve Smith. The feisty little guy exploded for 12 receptions for 218 yards and a pair of scores against the supposedly stingy Bears defense last week. The Seahawks ranked 25th against the pass during the regular season, so don't be surprised if Smith has another absurd outing on Sunday.

Then again, one can only assume the Seahawks will throw more double-teams Smith's way than the Bears did last week. Though unlikely, if Seattle can take Smith out the game, they would greatly increase their chances of emerging victorious. After all, quarterback Jake Delhomme hooked up with Smith for 12 touchdowns during the regular season, while the rest of the Carolina receivers combined for just eight touchdown receptions. Moreover, Smith had 103 receptions, while his fellow wideouts combined for just 64 grabs.

Stopping Smith won't be an easy task regardless of how much attention the Seahawks give him. He has scored or topped the 100-yard receiving mark in six of his last seven games (including the two playoff games) and will also be going up against a wounded Seahawks secondary.

Although cornerbacks Andre Dyson, Marcus Trufant, and Kelly Herndon will play this week, they have each been sidelined at one time or another in recent weeks with various injuries. Taking everything into account, we expect Smith to find the end zone at least once. He should top flirt with 100 yards, but the extra defensive attention he'll get following his last outing should prevent him from putting up ridiculous numbers.

The pressure could be on Delhomme to utilize a receiver other than Smith this week. He has had sporadic success with No. 3 receiver Ricky Proehl and No. 4 wideout Drew Carter late in the season, but No. 2 receiver Keary Colbert has been a flop. The second-year wideout hasn't caught more than two passes in a game since the first week in December, and he's been held scoreless in nine straight contests. There's a better chance of "Love Monkey" lasting more than one season in the CBS lineup than there is of Colbert finding the end zone this week.

The more likely candidate to score is Proehl. The 16-year veteran has scored three touchdowns in his last six games. He's not much of a threat in the yardage department, though, as he averaged just 33 yards per game in those same contests. Believe it or not, Carter is actually faster than Smith, or at least he was when the two speedsters raced back in training camp. Carter has caught only seven passes all season, but Delhomme has tried to hook up with him on deep routes in both playoff games.

Jeremy Shockey is the only tight end to score against the 'Hawks in Seattle all season, so don't get your hopes up for a Kris Mangum end zone visit.

Finally, the Seahawks surrendered 20 field goals in their last nine regular season games. Therefore, we're counting on a pair of attempts from John Kasay, who has converted three field goals in each of the last two playoff outings.

When the Seahawks have the ball: The good news is that Shaun Alexander has been cleared to play despite suffering a concussion in the first quarter of the divisional playoff game against the Redskins last week. The bad news is that Alexander has traditionally been a playoff flop.

In 2003, Alexander took 20 carries for 45 yards in a loss to the Packers. Granted, he scored three one-yard touchdowns in that same game, but obviously his rushing total left plenty to be desired. In 2004, The Great One was held to 40 yards on 15 carries in a loss to the Rams. Last week, he took six carries for nine yards and lost a fumble in the red zone before leaving the game with the head injury.

The 2005 rushing champion also caused an off-field distraction this week when he left the door open to playing for the Panthers next season. Granted, Alexander will be an unrestricted free agent after the season, but making such a comment when you're about to play for the right to go to the Super Bowl is less appropriate than giving Colts cornerback Nick Harper and his wife a cutlery set for Christmas.

The last time Alexander faced a John Fox defense was on Halloween 2004 when he took 32 carries for 195 yards and a touchdown. He also added a receiving touchdown. However, we must point out that the injury-riddled Panthers played without several key players that week.

Carolina conceded only two rushing touchdowns away from home during the regular season. For that matter, only two home teams topped the 100-yard rushing mark against them this season. Based on that information, we'll pencil in Alexander for 85 yards and a single score.

Once again, the pressure will be on Matt Hasselbeck to carry his team. He's been very impressive in three career playoff games despite winning only one of those contests. He topped 300 yards in both of the losing efforts. Last week, he passed for one score and ran in another. The Panthers haven't allowed multiple passing scores on the road since way back in week five, meaning we don't expect more than one touchdown pass from Hasselbeck.

Darrell Jackson is a candidate to be on the receiving end of said touchdown pass. He had nine grabs for 143 yards and a score last week, causing most fantasy owners to forget that he was playing in only his third game back from knee surgery. D-Jax had six grabs for 71 yards when these teams met back in 2004. He also fumbled twice in that game. We don't put too much stock in those numbers, however, because the Panthers have upgraded at cornerback since then. In what should be one of the more intriguing matchups of the weekend, Jackson will be lining up opposite former teammate Ken Lucas, who joined the Panthers via free agency during the offseason.

Joe Jurevicius is also a threat to score. Although he was held to one catch last week, Big Joe leads the team with 10 receiving scores this season. He also has plenty of playoff experience, as this will be his third NFC Championship game in the last five seasons. No. 2 receiver Bobby Engram will probably catch more balls than Jurevicius on Sunday, but an end zone visit is unlikely because he has been held to just three scores all year.

Keep an eye on tight end Jerramy Stevens. He's been held to a total of two receptions for 13 yards in his last two games, but he scored in three straight games back in December. The Panthers let Bears tight end Desmond Clark score last week, so Stevens might be on Hasselbeck's red zone radar.

Josh Brown has been a risky play at home this year. He's fresh off a two-trey day against the Redskins, but he was held without a field goal just as many times as he converted multiple field goals on his home turf during the regular season.

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