Preview | Seahawks at Carolina, 10 a.m., TV: Ch. 13

Seattle vs. Carolina at Bank of America Stadium

Kickoff: 10 a.m. TV: Ch. 13 Radio: KIRO (710 AM)

The line: Seahawks by 7 ½

Key questions

1. How well is the Seahawks defense playing? Maybe a little better than expected. The Seahawks are second in the NFL in sacks with 41. DE Patrick Kerney is the league leader with 13 ½. The Seahawks are plus-13 in turnover margin, tied for third in the NFL, and CB Marcus Trufant's seven interceptions ranks him second in the league. The Seahawks are also fifth in the NFL in points allowed per game, 17.5.

2. Is Vinny Testaverde really the Panthers' QB, and why? Testaverde, 44, is running the show for the struggling Panthers with Jake Delhomme on injured reserve and David Carr, who once made a free-agent visit to Seattle, struggling so bad that he was third on the depth chart two weeks ago. Delhomme had eight TD passes in the three games he played; the other three Carolina QBs have combined for eight.

3. What's at stake this week for Bobby Engram? Maybe not so much this week, but certainly this season. Engram, a guy who has been invaluable to the Seahawks since he came to the team in 2001, needs 71 receiving yards for his first career 1,000-yard season, 13 catches for a career high (88) and 59 yards for a career high (987). Engram is the Seahawks' leading receiver in 2007.

4. Where do the Panthers figure in Seahawks history? The Seahawks' 34-14 win over the Panthers on Jan. 22, 2006, is the biggest win in the history of the team. It won the Seahawks the NFC championship and propelled them to their first-ever Super Bowl appearance. Highlights from the game included LB Kevin Bentley's locking down of Panthers star WR Steve Smith with aggressive tactics, a big turnover day for the defense and two TD catches by players who are no longer Seahawks — WR Darrell Jackson and TE Jerramy Stevens.

5. What are the Seahawks playing for? The division title in hand, the Seahawks want to keep winning and have the Green Bay Packers lose so they have a shot at one of the NFC's top two records and a first-round playoff bye.

Notable

Seahawks: RB Shaun Alexander needs 100 yards to pass Earl Campbell for 24th place on the NFL's all-time rushing yards list and one rushing TD to become the eighth player in NFL history with 100 rush scores. ... K Josh Brown needs nine points to pass Todd Peterson for fourth place on Seattle's points scored list. ... Nate Burleson needs 42 yards to pass Charlie Rogers for second place on Seattle's punt-return yards list. ... Seattle has 11 interceptions in its past three games and nine in its past two.

Panthers: The Panthers and Seahawks have split two regular-season games, the last in 2004. ... Testaverde ranks second among active quarterbacks with 46,233 passing yards and is third with 275 TDs. He's 3-0 in his career vs. Seattle, including the playoffs. ... The Panthers are 16-1 when RB DeShaun Foster has 70-plus rushing yards. ... Carolina has outscored opponents 80-53 in the fourth quarter.

Injury report

Seahawks: WR D.J. Hackett (ankle) and CB Josh Wilson (quadriceps) are out. S Brian Russell (lower abdomen) is questionable. OT Tom Ashworth (illness), S Mike Green (knee) and OL Floyd Womack (hamstring) are probable.

Panthers: WR Keary Colbert (knee) is doubtful. G Jeremy Bridges (tooth), WR Dwayne Jarrett (knee) and QB Vinny Testaverde (team decision) are probable.

Last game Seahawks: Seattle won its fifth straight game in convincing fashion, blasting the Arizona Cardinals 42-21 to clinch the NFC West title for the fourth straight year and punching its ticket to the playoffs. The stars of the day were Hasselbeck, who threw four touchdown passes and had a 131.6 passer rating; Trufant, who intercepted three passes; Kerney, who took the NFL lead in sacks with three, and a wild crowd at Qwest Field. Four different receivers caught touchdowns, and the Seahawks got a safety from newly signed Josh Scobey.

Panthers: Carolina dropped to 5-8 and more than likely out of the playoff picture by being drubbed 37-6 by the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. Testaverde was a miserable 13 for 28 for 84 yards and threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. The Panthers' offense gained a season-low 144 total yards and 10 first downs. Carolina's offense dropped to No. 29 in the league. Only Miami, Kansas City and San Francisco are worse.

José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com