After racing to a 5-0 start this season, the Seattle Seahawks lost three of their next four games, and their status as a serious title contender was put into question. Quarterback Russell Wilson, who vaulted to the top of the NFL MVP race after a torrid start to the season, eventually cooled off and showed that he can’t save the Seahawks in every game.
But despite their recent struggles, Seattle regained its bearings in Week 11 after a 28-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals, the same team that handed them their first loss this season. After back-to-back games in which he had two interceptions, Wilson had none against the Cardinals, and looked more like the quarterback that was on track to receive his first MVP award. Even after the slump, the Seahawks still have a 7-3 record, which is tied with the Los Angeles Rams for the top spot in the highly competitive NFC West.
In Week 12, the Seahawks travel to the Lincoln Financial Field to take on the Philadelphia Eagles, which finds itself trailing in the race for the NFC East title after a string of losses. Seattle has lost its last three games on the road, but they are facing a team that they’ve had a lot of success against. Since Pete Carroll took over as the team’s head coach, Seattle has beaten Philadelphia six straight times, including in the Wild Card round in January.
Here are four predictions when the Seahawks try to continue their mastery over the Eagles on Monday.
1. Russell Wilson passes for 2 TDs
After having sub-par performances in their losses to the Buffalo Bills and Rams, the 31-year-old signal-caller was back to his usual self against Arizona, completing 23 of 28 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns for an 82.1 completion percentage and a 119.8 passer rating. Wilson, however, will be facing an Eagles defense that remains one of the best at defending the pass, allowing an average of just 209.3 passing yards per game, which ranks sixth in the NFL.
But Wilson has never lost to the Eagles in his NFL career. And with Seattle having more options for its ground game, Wilson will not have to carry the Seahawks' entire offense much like he did in their recent games. Wide receiver DK Metcalf had a big game against the Eagles in their Wild Card game, and despite being matched up against cornerback Darius Slay this time, Wilson should look for him, Tyler Lockett, as well as his other usual targets.
Another strong game by Wilson against the Eagles will prove that his recent performances in their losses were exceptions rather than the norm. and it wouldn’t be hard to imagine the six-time Pro Bowler passing for two touchdowns against Philadelphia, which, coupled with a Seahawks win, should bring his name right back into the MVP conversation.
2. Chris Carson scores a TD in his return
Despite a return to form, Wilson actually had a season-low 197 passing yards against the Cardinals. That’s partly because of the return of running back Carlos Hyde, who rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown after missing three games. His return allowed Seattle to turn to its run game more often as the team finished with 165 rushing yards, the highest in three weeks, which also put less pressure on their quarterback.
The Seattle offense will have one more weapon in the backfield on Sunday in Chris Carson, who is expected to return after missing four games due to a mid-foot sprain. The last time the Seahawks played with both Hyde and Carson in the lineup was in the Week 7 overtime loss to the Cardinals, when the team rushed for a season high 200 yards. In their absence, Seattle rushed well below their per game average of 121.3 rushing yards, including a season-low 57 rushing yards in their loss to the Bills.
Carson’s return should not only change that, but should also be good news for Wilson, who will be asked to do less on offense than in their recent games. While the Eagles are one of the stingiest defenses against the pass, they have struggled to stop opposing teams on the ground, allowing 133.4 rushing yards per game, which is tied for just 25th in the NFL. Carson has just three rushing touchdowns this season, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him getting it going early and finding the end zone against the Eagles.
3. Carlos Dunlap gets a sack on Carson Wentz
While the Seahawks offense has consistently ranked as one of the league’s best, the same can’t be said of their defense, which still gives up an average of 434.9 yards and 343.7 passing yards per game, numbers both of which are the worst marks in the NFL. In two of their three losses, they gave up 37 points in overtime to the Cardinals and 44 points to the Bills. But fortunately, their defense has picked up in their recent games.
After failing to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks early in the season, Seattle now ranks second in the league in sacks since Week 8, with 16 sacks in their last four games, just behind the New Orleans Saints with 18. After failing to register a quarterback hit on the Cardinals’ Kyler Murray in their Week 7 loss, Seattle sacked the second-year signal-caller three times in Week 11, with two coming from defensive end Carlos Dunlap and one coming from LJ Collier. Dunlap, who was acquired by Seattle from the Cincinnati Bengals in a trade last month, has made a difference for the defense.
In three games since joining the Seahawks, the two time Pro Bowler with the Bengals has recorded three sacks, five solo tackles, five tackles for loss, and six quarterback hits. This week, he faces an Eagles offensive line that has been plagued with injuries and has allowed 40 sacks on quarterback Carson Wentz, the highest in the league. With the addition of Dunlap, the return of safety Jamal Adams, and the impending return of cornerback Shaquil Griffin, the Seattle defense should be much better in the coming weeks, and the 31-year-old edge rusher should be able to sack Wentz on Monday.
4. The Seahawks beat the Eagles and move up to 8-3
Despite their lowly record and struggles, the Eagles remain a dangerous opponent. But the Seahawks have played well after a recent stumble, with Wilson looking like he did early in the season and the defense picking up with the addition of Dunlap and the return of players who were sidelined with injuries. Having Carson and Hyde on the field together should also make the Seattle offense more dynamic.
Wentz, on the other hand, has mostly struggled this season, and still leads the league in interceptions with 14 and fumbles with 10, and there has been talk about replacing him with rookie Jalen Hurts, although Wentz is still expected to start against Seattle. The game will have tense moments, as Seahawks games usually do, but its likely that they emerge with a victory and continue their mastery over Eagles, moving their record up to 8-3 and keeping in step with the Rams on top of the NFC West.
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