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          NFL Nation

          Luke Kuechly up, Cameron Artis-Payne down in Panthers' playoff win

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          Luke Kuechly, Jermaine Kearse earn game balls (2:22)

          Carolina MLB Luke Kuechly returned an interception 14 yards for a touchdown and led the team in tackles with 11, but his most impressive play was a pass defensed late in the game. Jermaine Kearse gave the Seahawks a chance, scoring two touchdowns. (2:22)

          • David Newton, ESPN Staff WriterJan 18, 2016, 12:04 AM
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              David Newton is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Carolina Panthers. Newton began covering Carolina in 1995 and came to ESPN in 2006 as a NASCAR reporter before joining NFL Nation in 2013. You can follow Newton on Twitter at @DNewtonespn.
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          A look at Carolina Panthers players who were "up" and those that were "down" in Sunday’s divisional playoff 31-24 win against the Seattle Seahawks:

          UP

          Luke Kuechly: The middle linebacker returned an interception 14 yards for a touchdown on Seattle’s second play and led Carolina with 11 tackles. But arguably his most impressive play came late in the fourth quarter when he went airborne to knock a ball away from wide receiver Doug Baldwin on a deep out pattern. Few linebackers in the league make that play.

          Cam Newton: He did most of his damage in the first half, completing 8 of 11 pass attempts for 102 yards and a touchdown for a passer rating of 131.6. With a 31-0 lead at halftime, the Panthers got a bit conservative in their play calling. Newton finished 16-for-22 for 161 yards and a touchdown. He was was effective but not as spectacular as he has been at times this season.

          Jonathan Stewart: The running back set the tone on the game’s first offensive snap when he went 59 yards to the Seattle 16. This run came against a defense that had allowed only 85 yards rushing combined in the last two games. Stewart finished with 106 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. He would have had more carries had he not tweaked the foot that forced him to sit out the final four regular-season games. He said it wasn’t bad enough to be an issue moving forward.

          Greg Olsen: The Pro Bowl tight end would like to play the Seahawks every week based on how he’s done in two games against them. He had six catches for 77 yards and a touchdown in this one. He had seven catches for 131 yards and the game-winning touchdown during a 27-23 victory at Seattle in October.

          DOWN

          Cameron Artis-Payne: The rookie running back fumbled on Carolina’s first play after Stewart's long run. He was fortunate fullback Mike Tolbert recovered and Carolina went on to score a touchdown. But in general Artis-Payne didn’t give Carolina nearly the consistency he had late in the season. He had only seven yards on three carries and one catch for one yard.

          Ted Ginn Jr.: He was practically a non-factor after returning from a knee injury that sidelined him in the regular-season finale. He was targeted once and had no catches. His biggest play was an 11-yard reverse.