Eagles vs. Seahawks: Monday Night Football Preview and Predictions
By Richard Dominic-Giordano
Monday, Nov. 30 at 8:15 PM ET
ESPN
SPREAD: Seahawks, -6.0
The Seattle Seahawks head into Philadelphia to face off against the Eagles in a matchup between teams trending in completely opposite directions. The Seahawks (7-3) are fresh off a win against the Arizona Cardinals which moved them into second place in the NFC West. The Eagles (3-6-1) have been one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL as they have dropped their last two games to the Browns and Giants. Carson Wentz has been largely responsible for this poor start as he is currently leading the NFL with 14 interceptions. The Seahawks had a bit of a rough patch, losing back-to-back games to the Rams and Bills but finally look to be trending in the right direction after safety Jamaal Adams returned last week. The Seahawks should be in control of this game from start to finish.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks started off the season on a roll winning their first five games. However, since the hot start, they have gone 2-3. The main reason for their struggles has been the Seattle defense, who has been among the worst in football. However, last week the defense finally showed a bit of life and should continue to improve against an Eagles offense that has yet to find any sort of rhythm all year long.
Seahawks Offense
Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf are one of the top WR duo’s in the entire league this year. (Joe Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports)
The Seahawks offense is one of the best in all of the NFL, ranking fifth in total offense (400.9 yards per game) led by quarterback Russell Wilson who leads the NFL in passing touchdowns with 30. The receiver duo of Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf has been nothing short of sensational as both players rank in the top six in receiving touchdowns and top 15 in receiving yards. Russell Wilson loves pushing the ball down the field and these two are among the top big-play receivers in the league. Lockett has been a staple in the Seahawk offense for the past year but it is the huge leap of second-year receiver D.K. Metcalf that has turned this offense from good to elite.
Seattle has faced injuries in their backfield all year long with starting running back Chris Carson being banged up pretty much the entire season. Carson may make his return on Monday night, however, which would allow the Seahawks to pound the football and control the clock more, keeping the highly suspect defense off the field for as long as possible. Once Carson gets back up to speed there is really no weakness in the Seattle offense.
Seahawks Defense
Seattle certainly has Super Bowl aspirations this season and while the offense has clearly done its part, the defense has left a lot to be desired. The Seahawks defense ranks the worst in the NFL in yards allowed per game (434.9) as well as passing yards allowed (343.7). Seattle in the past had always hung their hat on defense but this season has been historically bad, especially against the pass. There was a bright spot last week as star safety Jamaal Adams returned from injury, as well as the addition of defensive end Carlos Dunlap who helped the Seahawks pass rush to get pressure on Kyler Murray last week, holding that high-powered offense to just 21 points. The Seahawks defense should be able to keep the inconsistent Eagles offense in check.
Philadelphia Eagles
Carson Wentz has been one of the most talked-about quarterbacks in the league this year as he has been a large part of the Eagles overall struggles. The Eagles have struggled with injuries for the past two seasons, however, Wentz was still able to lead this team to the playoffs just last season. The Eagles have been getting more healthy by the week and yet Wentz has seemingly played worse each week that he has more weapons. If Wentz isn’t able to turn his season around soon, there is going to be some serious speculation as to him being benched for rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts, who was a Heisman finalist last season at Oklahoma.
Eagles Offense
While many of the key skill position players have been injured for some points in the season, there is no excuse for the Eagles offense to rank 26th in the NFL in yards per game. Carson Wentz is among the highest-paid quarterbacks in football and the fact his offense is among the worst does not bode well for him moving forward. If Wentz is going to figure out a way to get back on track, it will be against this Seahawks defense who has made each quarterback they face look like a future Hall of Famer. Second-year running back Miles Sanders ranks third in the league in yards per carry (5.7) and the Eagles are going to want to lean on him as well to limit the number of times Wentz is going to need to throw the ball.
Eagles Defense
Jamal Adams finally returned in Week 11. (Bettina Hansen/The Seattle Times)
The Philadelphia defense has been quietly solid this season ranking 10th in yards allowed per game (342.7) and sixth against the pass (209.3). The offseason addition of corner Darius Slay has improved an Eagles pass defense that was extremely suspect last season. The defense is good enough for the Eagles to win a majority of the games they play but when you have an offense as turnover prone as Philadelphia has been, it's tough to win close games.
The Prediction
With the spread being set at Seattle minus 6 in Philadelphia, I believe the Seahawks will easily cover this game. An improvement on the defensive side of the ball last week along with the potential return of starting running back Chris Carson bodes well for Seattle heading into this one. Carson Wentz has made too many mistakes all year long and to think he won’t do the same this week is quite frankly ignorant. Russell Wilson and company will have little resistance moving the football up and down the field the majority of this game. The Seahawks have been in shootouts a lot this season and that is the only way I can see the Eagles winning. However, in a shootout between Carson Wentz and Russell Wilson, I’m gonna take Wilson every day of the week, twice on Sunday.
SHAWN’S PREDICTION: Seahawks 31 - 17
AJ’S PREDICTION: Eagles 23 - 17
CADE’S PREDICTION: Seahawks 42 - 7
TIM’S PREDICTION: Seahawks 31 - 21
Richard is a sports writer for La Tonique.
