My biggest takeaway from four days around the Carolina Panthers this week is how nothing seemed different. It was like any other week.
That's a change from the last time the Panthers hosted a divisional round game. In the days leading up to that loss to the 49ers in 2013, you could sense tension inside the locker room. Playoff pressure stifled what had been a surprising 12-4 run.
The stakes are higher this time around. Never before have the Panthers been a No. 1 seed. But through Friday, they sure didn't seem to be feeling much pressure.
"To me, it's never really about the pressure you have from your football team or playing the game. It's the pressure you get from the outside noise more than anything else," coach Ron Rivera said.
The media, which usually controls the veracity of outside noise, has actually done Carolina a favor this week. Because so few see a Panthers' win as a lead pipe lock, outside expectations are limited. That's helped the players keep their personalities, something Rivera has preached for months.
No one on either team has as much to lose Sunday as the guy with the biggest personality. After dancing and preening through the regular season, Cam Newton can't go one-and-done. He made a valid point after the Tennessee game — if teams don't want him to celebrate, they should stop him. If Seattle does, Cam critics will come out in full force.
But there he was Wednesday, about as chatty as he's even been with the media, covering topics from the actual game to baby car seats.
"I think I've got a car dealer that is going to get me a pimped out soccer [van]," Newton said with a laugh.
The next day, team DJ Mike Tolbert blasted tunes while Philly Brown and Devin Funchess took turns dancing. And on Friday, the normally reserved Andrew Norwell was as animated as we've ever seen him, jumping and yelling as he broke down the team huddle.
"We're very loose, man. We've got some characters in this locker room," cornerback Josh Norman said. "We don't feel pressure, I don't think. That don't get to us too often or too much. We just go out and execute. Do what we're coached to do and do it well."
Two years removed from that loss to 49ers, these Panthers are more talented. They're also better coached. Rivera has admittedly learned on the job, including how not to act in a playoff game. See: lost composure against San Francisco.
What Rivera has skillfully balanced this season is more mental than anything else. He's allowed and even encouraged his guys to act how they want, trusting they would also keep their focus.
"We've got a little saying, it's about your attitude, your preparation and your effort. Well, if your preparation is really good and you feel real confident, there's not a lot of pressure," Rivera said.
"I use a little analogy when I go speak to grade school-aged kids. 'How many of you guys feel pressure when you don't study well and you don't prepare and you don't do the extra assignments like you're supposed to before you're about to take a test?' They all raise their hands. I say, 'Exactly. So what do you need to do? You need to study and do your homework.'"
If the Seahawks win Sunday, it'll be easy to say that the Panthers didn't take their homework seriously enough this week. The counter argument is a team that managed to win 15 games while having so much fun.
The buttons Rivera pushed worked well in the regular season. Changing anything now? That's how you raise pressure.
"If you feel like you've done everything you can possibly do and you show up and play that game, there's no pressure. You might have butterflies, but you shouldn't feel pressure. You should feel confident and ready to roll, and that's what we're trying to get across to our guys," Rivera said.
"Pressure? To me it comes from the outside sources. You try to blank those out, but it's kind of hard. Truthfully, it really is. But the pressure you put on yourself."