CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks are doing everything they can to wrap up the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Even after winning 13 games — including six straight — they may need to beat San Francisco in Week 18 to secure that goal.
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Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young scores past Seattle Seahawks safety Ty Okada during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)
Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner celebrates after scoring against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet. is tackled by Carolina Panthers linebacker Christian Rozeboom during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)
Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet scores against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet scores against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)
Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet celebrates after scoring against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet celebrates after scoring against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Zach Charbonnet ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns, and the Seahawks turned two third-quarter Carolina turnovers into TDs to beat the Panthers 27-10 on Sunday and close in on their first NFC West title since 2020.
Sam Darnold overcame an interception in the end zone to finish 18 of 27 for 147 yards with a touchdown for the Seahawks (13-3). Seattle can wrap up the division crown if the 49ers and Los Angeles Rams both lose or tie. The 49ers were hosting Chicago Sunday night, and the Rams visit Atlanta Monday night.
In all likelihood, the Seahawks will need to beat the Niners to wrap up the top seed and home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs.
“We’re going to make sure we take care of business,” defensive lineman DeMarcus Lawrence said. “It’s in our hands. The only thing we have to do is grasp it.”
The Panthers (8-8) had a chance to win the NFC South after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost 20-17 at Miami on Sunday.
Now the Panthers will likely need a victory at Tampa Bay next weekend to win their first division title since 2015 and snap a seven-year playoff drought. Carolina could still claim the division with a loss to the Bucs if the Atlanta Falcons (6-9) win their final two games and the teams finish in a three-way tie.
“We definitely feel the missed opportunity, but at the same time we know what is in front of us,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said. “It is clearly defined. ... We have to get over the fact that we missed an opportunity with the Bucs losing that game. But our focus has to go to the next one pretty quickly.”
Seattle coach Mike Macdonald challenged his team to win in all three phases, and the Seahawks did just that in cold, dreary conditions that resembled winter in the Pacific Northwest.
The Seahawks played mostly man-to-man defense and it worked to perfection.
Bryce Young was limited to 54 yards on 14-of-24 passing and threw an interception for the inconsistent Panthers, who followed up a win with a loss for the fifth straight time. Young ran for 30 yards and accounted for Carolina's only touchdown with a 10-yard scamper.
Carolina top wide receivers — Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette — were limited to a combined four catches for 24 yards and the Panthers had just 139 yards of offense.
Seattle outgained Carolina 163 yards to 99 on the ground.
“Same story every week: We didn’t flinch,” Macdonald said. “A big emphasis this week was, ‘Can we stack plays in all three phases?’ It took us a half to do it but I felt like in the second half, we did a great job.”
After an ugly first half that ended in a 3-3 tie, the Seahawks took control in the third quarter thanks to their opportunistic defense.
Lawrence recovered a fumble by Chuba Hubbard deep in Carolina territory and Charbonnet cashed in with a 2-yard touchdown run. On the ensuing possession, Young's pass to McMillan was intercepted by Julian Love, leading to Darnold's 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end AJ Barner.
“Bad decision, bad throw,” Young said.
Hubbard's fumble came after Darnold was picked off in the end zone.
“It’s unbelievable. Our defense has been doing that all year,” Darnold said. “They’ve been stepping up in such a huge way. Especially, for me, on that turnover, I’ve got to move on in my progression and at least make it a us-or-nobody throw. But for us it's just complementary football.”
The Panthers, who managed just 72 yards in the first three quarters, put together a 13-play, 69-yard drive that ended early in the fourth. Young scored on a 10-yard run to cut Seattle's lead to 17-10.
The Panthers' defense appeared ready to get off the field on Seattle's next possession, but two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn was flagged for grabbing Smith-Njigba's facemask on a third-down reception on third-and-21, more than 15 yards behind the first-down marker.
That gave Seattle a first down, and the Seahawks cashed in with Jason Myers' 30-yard field goal to make it a two-possession game with eight minutes remaining.
Seattle sacked Young twice on the ensuing possession to get the ball back, and Charbonnet sealed it with his second TD run.
“Credit to them,” Young said. “They made adjustments to the game plan and did a better job of executing it. We are going to go up against different schemes and teams that are going to make adjustments. We need to be able to react to that and counter it. We will watch the film and learn and grow from it.”
Seahawks: WRs Rashid Shaheed (concussion) and Cody White (groin) left in the first half and did not return.
Panthers: TE Ja'Tavion Sanders (ankle) was carted to the locker room after getting injured on the game's first play. Canales said Sanders broke his ankle and will miss the rest of the season. CB Robert Rochell (concussion) left a short while later. LB Claudin Cherelus left with a calf injury in the third quarter.
Seahawks: At San Francisco next weekend.
Panthers: At Tampa Bay next weekend.
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Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young scores past Seattle Seahawks safety Ty Okada during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)
Seattle Seahawks tight end AJ Barner celebrates after scoring against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet. is tackled by Carolina Panthers linebacker Christian Rozeboom during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)
Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet scores against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet scores against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)
Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet celebrates after scoring against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet celebrates after scoring against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday insisted Ukraine and Russia are “closer than ever before” to a peace deal as he hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Florida resort, but he acknowledged that negotiations could still break down and leave the war dragging on for years.
The president’s statements came after the two leaders met for a discussion that took place after what Trump described as an “excellent,” two-and-a-half-hour phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose invasion of Ukraine launched the war four years ago. Trump insisted he believed Putin still wants peace, even as Russia launched another round of attacks on Ukraine while Zelenskyy flew to the United States for the latest round of negotiations.
“Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed,” Trump said during a late afternoon news conference following a meeting with Zelenskyy, whom he repeatedly praised as “brave.”
Trump and Zelenskyy both acknowledged thorny issues remain, including whether Russia can keep Ukrainian territory it controls. After their discussion they called a wide group of European leaders, including Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and the leaders of Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain and Poland.
Zelenskyy thanked Trump for his work. “Ukraine is ready for peace,” he said.
Trump said he'd follow the meeting with another call to Putin. Earlier Sunday, Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said the Trump-Putin call was initiated by the U.S. side, lasted over an hour, and was “friendly, benevolent and businesslike.” Ushakov said Trump and Putin agreed to speak again “promptly” after Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy.
But Ushakov added that a “bold, responsible, political decision is needed from Kyiv” on the fiercely contested Donbas region in eastern Ukraine and other matters in dispute for there to be a “complete cessation” of hostilities.
In overnight developments, three guided aerial bombs launched by Russia struck private homes in the eastern city of Sloviansk, according to the head of the local military administration, Vadym Lakh. Three people were injured and one man died, Lakh said in a post on the Telegram messenger app.
The strike came the day after Russia attacked Ukraine’s capital with ballistic missiles and drones on Saturday, killing at least one person and wounding 27, Ukrainian authorities said. Explosions boomed across Kyiv as the attack began in the early morning and continued for hours.
Trump said, however, that he still believes Putin is “very serious” about ending the war.
“I believe Ukraine has made some very strong attacks also,” Trump told reporters as Zelenskyy stood by his side. “And I don’t say that negatively. I think, you probably have to. I don’t say that negatively. But I think, he hasn’t told me that, but there have been some explosions in various parts of Russia. It looks to me, like, I don’t know. I don’t think it came from the Congo.”
Trump noted that it was possible that the negotiations will fall apart. “In a few weeks, we will know one way or the other, I think. ... But it could also go poorly.”
The face-to-face sit-down between Trump and Zelenskyy underscored the apparent progress made by Trump’s top negotiators in recent weeks as the sides traded draft peace plans and continued to shape a proposal to end the fighting. Zelenskyy told reporters Friday that the 20-point draft proposal negotiators have discussed is “about 90% ready” — echoing a figure, and the optimism, that U.S. officials conveyed when Trump’s chief negotiators met with Zelenskyy in Berlin earlier this month.
During the recent talks, the U.S. agreed to offer certain security guarantees to Ukraine similar to those offered to other members of NATO. The proposal came as Zelenskyy said he was prepared to drop his country’s bid to join the security alliance if Ukraine received NATO-like protection that would be designed to safeguard it against future Russian attacks.
Zelenskyy also spoke on Christmas Day with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. The Ukrainian leader said they discussed “certain substantive details" and cautioned “there is still work to be done on sensitive issues” and “the weeks ahead may also be intensive.”
The U.S. president has been working to end the war in Ukraine for much of his first year back in office, showing irritation with both Zelenskyy and Putin while publicly acknowledging the difficulty of ending the conflict. Long gone are the days when, as a candidate in 2024, he boasted that he could resolve the fighting in a day.
After hosting Zelenskyy at the White House in October, Trump demanded that both Russia and Ukraine halt fighting and “stop at the battle line,” implying that Moscow should be able to keep the territory it has seized from Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said last week that he would be willing to withdraw troops from Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland as part of a plan to end the war, if Russia also pulls back and the area becomes a demilitarized zone monitored by international forces.
Putin has publicly said he wants all the areas in four key regions that have been captured by his forces, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, illegally annexed in 2014, to be recognized as Russian territory. He also has insisted that Ukraine withdraw from some areas in eastern Ukraine that Moscow’s forces haven’t captured. Kyiv has publicly rejected all those demands.
The Kremlin also wants Ukraine to abandon its bid to join NATO. It warned that it wouldn’t accept the deployment of any troops from members of the military alliance and would view them as a “legitimate target.”
Putin also has said Ukraine must limit the size of its army and give official status to the Russian language, demands he has made from the outset of the conflict.
Ushakov told the business daily Kommersant this month that Russian police and national guard would stay in parts of Donetsk -– one of the two major areas, along with Luhansk, that make up the Donbas region — even if they become a demilitarized zone under a prospective peace plan.
Ushakov cautioned that trying to reach a compromise could take a long time. He said U.S. proposals that took into account Russian demands had been “worsened” by alterations proposed by Ukraine and its European allies.
Trump has been somewhat receptive to Putin’s demands, making the case that the Russian president can be persuaded to end the war if Kyiv agrees to cede Ukrainian land in the Donbas region and if Western powers offer economic incentives to bring Russia back into the global economy.
Kim reported from Washington and Morton from London. Associated Press writers Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Nicholas Riccardi in Denver and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump attends a joint news conference with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following a meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a joint news conference with President Donald Trump following a meeting his Mar-a-Lago club, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shake hands at the start of a joint news conference following a meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump greets Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Mar-a-Lago club, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump greets Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Mar-a-Lago club, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump greets Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Mar-a-Lago club, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump greets Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Mar-a-Lago club, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Karen Blake of Ft. Lauderdale, poses with a sign at the "Rally in Support of Ukraine" organized by the Ukrainian Association of Florida as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with U.S. President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in West Palm Beach, Fla., Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)
President Donald Trump waves as he departs Trump International Golf Club, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A psychologist of a rescue team helps en elderly woman at the hospice which was damaged after a Russian strike on Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Rescuers put fragments of a body of the victim into a plastic bag after Russian drone hit a multi-storey apartment building during massive missile and drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
President Donald Trump pumps his fist at Christmas Eve dinner at his Mar-a-Lago club, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hold a news conference in Halifax, N.S. on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025.(Riley Smith /The Canadian Press via AP)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a media conference at the EU Summit in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
