The Seattle Seahawks may be reemerging as one of the NFL’s best teams, thanks in part to a big win on Sunday Night Football against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Despite being second place in their division behind the L.A. Rams, the Seahawks managed to keep pace with them by beating the Eagles 24-10 in a game that could potentially have a bigger impact for the Seahawks than the Eagles, who are still sitting comfortably atop the NFC East.
Potential MVP quarterback Russell Wilson threw for three touchdowns, including a great 15-yarder to J.D. McKissic, while throwing 20 for 31 for 227 yards. The two other touchdowns went to tight end Jimmy Graham and wide receiver Tyler Lockett respectively.
Seattle snapped the Eagle’s nine-game winning streak and also gave the loss to a team that was the highest-scoring team up until that game. Last night for the Eagles, only 10 points on seven drives.
Quarterback Carson Wentz did not play his usual great game for the Eagles, only getting one touchdown and one interception on 348 yards through the air. He also coughed up a costly fumble in the red zone that turned into a Seahawks touchback. Even a potential Eagles rally in the fourth quarter didn’t help their fortunes.
Means More For Eagles Or Seahawks?
You can point to this game and understand that it was a premier matchup, but this single game was far more important for Seattle.
The Eagles are currently 10-2 and sitting atop the NFC East and the next team below them is the Cowboys, who are 6-6. If they dump one game, there’s no need to put the panic button on this team just yet. I expected them to lose this game in Seattle and this is the type of offense I would’ve expected for this team going there.
However, the Minnesota Vikings now sit next to them in the NFC with a 10-2 record, and the Rams and Saints are just one game back.
Playing in Seattle is definitely hard. I understand two teams won in Seattle this year, but it’s not very often. The Eagles, despite their high-scoring streak, were going to have one of these games where they weren’t going to get a whole lot of offense going.
For the Seahawks, however, it is a big deal, because it reestablishes their dominance at home, especially during primetime games, plus they’re trying to catch the L.A. Rams, who are still a game ahead.
Without most of their defense, who are out for the season with injuries, Russell Wilson will have to carry this team. He did just that on Sunday night with his uncanny ability to create plays behind a porous offensive line. That’s why I believe he’s a candidate for the MVP this year. He’s one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the league, and when you leave him with that opportunity to throw big yards and take advantage of defenses, he’s going to make you pay for it.
He made the Eagles pay on Sunday. Look out for the Seahawks down the stretch. In November and December, they have proven they can turn it on and not look back. It looks like it’s happening again.
What Next For The Seahawks and Eagles?
For the Eagles, as I said, this loss is not a huge deal, because they are still comfortably in the driver seat of the NFC East. They have a tough stretch coming up against good teams like the Rams and the Raiders, but if they can win two games against the Giants and Cowboys, then they’ll have no problem getting into the playoffs, and most likely locking up the division.
As for the Seahawks, they may have an easier road to get there, as they have the Jaguars next week, which is winnable, and then home against the Rams, at the Cowboys, and then home in their final game against the Cardinals. If all goes well, they can be 4-0, and they’ll possibly overtake the Rams to win the division and get home field advantage, at least for the Wild Card. I’m not worried about them at all. There are still questions regarding offensive line and all that, but if Russell Wilson plays like he did on Sunday, there’s no doubt they’ll get in easily.
Overall, this game might only have implications for how the playoffs may go if they played each other, but Sunday was a great game for the Seahawks and it just showed you how good this team is when their back is against the wall, and they responded with a big win on Sunday.