RENTON, Wash. -- The Seattle Seahawks defense knows how dangerous Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is when he runs with the football. So what’s the plan?

“We can’t let Cam run on us,” Seahawks middle linebacker Bobby Wagner said. “We want to make him try to beat us throwing, which I don’t think he can do.”

Wagner has great respect for Newton’s athletic ability, but he feels the Seahawks have to focus on taking something away from him.

“We want to force him to make tough decisions,” Wagner said. “In the read-option, you have to be disciplined. If one person doesn’t have their man, you could see Cam run for 80 yards.

“Everything is not going to happen the way it’s supposed to for us. Somebody is going to have to step up and make a play.”

Newton completed only 12 of 29 passes for 141 yards in Seattle’s 16-12 victory in Charlotte last October.

“The most important thing we did [in the Carolina game last year] was get after the quarterback,” safety Earl Thomas said. “We got under his skin a little bit.

“Basically, just keep getting hits [on Newton]. With a quarterback like that, you try to move him off his spot. It makes it hard for him. It’s delaying his decisions. That’s what you’re talking about when you play Cam Newton. You have to pressure him.”

Defensive end O’Brien Schofield, who probably will start Sunday because of Cliff Avril’s hamstring injury, said the defense has to be ready for Newton’s speed.

“He definitely has a motor,” Schofield said. “So if he gets by your first pass-rushing move, you have to be able to chase him down when he gets outside of the pocket.”