Kenneth Walker III powers Seahawks past Panthers

Kenneth Walker III rushed for two touchdowns and Jason Myers kicked five field goals as the Seattle Seahawks defeated the visiting Carolina Panthers 37-27 Sunday afternoon.

Walker gained a game-high 97 yards rushing on 18 carries and added three catches for 59 yards as the Seahawks (2-1) posted their second consecutive victory.

Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton started for the Panthers (0-3) in place of the injured Bryce Young (ankle), the No. 1 overall pick in this spring's NFL draft. Dalton completed 34 of 58 passes for 361 yards with two touchdowns. Adam Thielen made 11 receptions for 145 yards, including a 15-yard TD with 1:40 remaining.

Seattle's Geno Smith was 23-of-36 passing for 296 yards, with one touchdown -- a 5-yarder to rookie Jake Bobo with 4:17 left -- and one interception. DK Metcalf had six catches for 112 yards.

The Seahawks finally found the end zone on their fourth trip inside the 20-yard line. Walker scored on a 1-yard run with 3:52 left in the third quarter to extend Seattle's lead to 22-13. The eight-play, 55-yard drive included a 36-yard reception by Walker on a first-and-21 play.

The Panthers countered with Miles Sanders' 1-yard run on the opening play of the fourth quarter to make it 22-20.

The Seahawks marched right back down the field, with Walker waltzing untouched into the end zone on a 7-yard run around the right end to restore the nine-point advantage.

Carolina took a 13-12 lead at the half, as the teams combined for six field goals.

The lone touchdown of the half came on a 47-yard touchdown pass from Dalton to DJ Chark Jr. down the left sideline with 4:54 left in the second quarter, giving the Panthers a 10-9 lead. Chark caught the ball near the 20-yard line, sidestepped a defensive back and coasted into the end zone.

After the Panthers opened the scoring on Eddy Pineiro's 47-yard field goal, Myers made kicks of 43, 35 and 33 yards to make it 9-3.

Pineiro added a 44-yarder following an interception with 2:39 left in the half to extend the Panthers' lead to 13-9 before Myers kicked a 37-yarder with 44 seconds to go to pull the Seahawks within a point.

Myers kicked a 39-yarder with 9:45 left in the third quarter to give Seattle the lead for good.