Seattle Seahawks beat Carolina Panthers by 16-12 score, bring NFC West entirely, inexplicably over .500

The Seattle Seahawks forced the high-scoring Carolina Panthers to play their kind of game—that is, unbearable—and a late touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Golden Tate put them up by a final score of 16-12. Cam Newton was 12-for-29 for 141 yards, the Panthers scored last on a Pick 6 and a safety, Marshawn Lynch carried the ball nearly as often as Wilson threw it; it was an ugly game, which is how the Seahawks will have to win this year. In so doing they tied the Rams for third place in the NFC West, and ensured that America's least-favorite division would be entirely over .500 through five weeks.

Which is exactly the kind of ugly thing the Seahawks would do. Newton got off to a remarkably slow start and never quite figured things out; he went into the locker room at the end of the first half just 3-for-15 with 40 yards, and while he was a little better in the second—9-for-14 for 100—he and the Panthers' vaunted offense were unable to score a single offensive touchdown, picking up seven points only on the first of Russell Wilson's two consecutive third quarter interceptions.

The St. Louis Rams aren't out of the NFC West basement just yet, but things have worked out anyway—suddenly, the NFC West basement has climbed out of itself.