Philly Sports Jabronis
By Dave Spadaro, Eagles.com
In very business-like order the Eagles will turn the page and focus on Dallas and the NFC East battle ahead, but lessons learned in Sunday’s 24-14 to Seattle resonate for the moment. The defending Super Bowl champions lived up to their reputation in every way …
“Frustrating” is the way to term the loss, epitomized by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty called on offensive tackle Jason Peters
as he walked off the field after a three-and-out series, the final play an incomplete pass intended for wide receiver Jordan Matthews, who was covered – overzealously, it appeared upon every replay angle, by cornerback Byron Maxwell – that had everyone rooting for the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in an uproar.
The Seahawks play physical, emotional and extremely sound football and they put together a complete game to beat the Eagles on Sunday. Quarterback Russell Wilson was an efficiency machine, completing 22 of 37 passes for 263 yards, rushing for 48 yards (including a 26-yard touchdown on a read-option keeper untouched) and moving the Seahawks from one first down to the next. Seattle, the chain-moving offense, had 28 first downs and 440 total net yards.
And how about this number? Seattle had the football for 41 minutes, 56 seconds.
“He doesn’t make many mistakes and we knew that going in,” said linebacker Connor Barwin. “He keeps plays alive and makes good decisions. He did that today. We could not get off the field.”
Seattle’s offense isn’t flashy, and its receivers aren’t going to the Pro Bowl. But as the Eagles played some mush-rush to contain Wilson’s damage on the ground, the third-year quarterback kept plays alive in the pocket and behind the line of scrimmage and found receivers, converted third downs (7 of 16) and Seattle strung together touchdown drives of 82 yards and 91 yards (helped by a 44-yard pass-interference penalty against cornerbackBradley Fletcher) and another touchdown drive of 19 yards after running back LeSean McCoy fumbled the football away on the first play of the second half.
The Eagles’ offense, which entered the game leading the NFL in most plays from the line of scrimmage, averaging 73 per contest, had just 45 snaps. Seattle didn’t miss a tackle. The Seahawks ran sideline to sideline to stuff anything the Eagles tried laterally. Only in an instance or two did the passing game create any separation.
The numbers tell the story: The Eagles gained 139 total net yards. They had 82 net yards passing. The converted 2 of 11 third downs and picked up nine first downs.
“Chip let us know that we played poorly,” McCoy said of head coach Chip Kelly’s message to the team after the game.
In a matchup of two teams heading to the NFC’s postseason, the Seahawks performed at a fevered pitch emotionally and a playoff-level functionally. And they left Philadelphia with a victory.
“I give them all the credit,” defensive coordinator Bill Davis said. “They got us today. They played an outstanding football game and we didn’t. I’m not sure there’s a whole lot more to say than that.”
The Eagles took a lead in the first quarter when Seattle punter Jon Ryan fumbled the snap on the Seahawks’ second possession and Zach Ertz recovered and gained 9 yards to the Seattle 14-yard line. It took the Eagles six plays to go 14 yards, including a fourth-and-1 conversion, and quarterback Mark Sanchez flared a pass on the left edge of the formation to wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, who made the catch and used aRiley Cooper block to score the 1-yard touchdown.
The lead didn’t last long. Seattle drove 10 plays to go 82 yards and scored when Wilson sucked in the defense, particularly linebacker Trent Cole on the right side of the Eagles’ defense, by faking a handoff to running back Marshawn Lynch and then sprinting untouched 26 yards for the score.
Seattle drove 41 yards to set up a field goal to end the first half, and then McCoy fumbled on the first play of the second half. Two plays later Wilson went to a wide-open Lynch in the passing game and he completed the 15-yard scoring play and Seattle led 17-7.
Give the Eagles credit, though. They fought the whole game, and came right back with a 54-yard touchdown drive – Josh Huff returned the kickoff 46 yards – and scored on a Sanchez 35-yard touchdown pass to Ertz.
And just as Lincoln Financial Field started rocking, Wilson ran for 12 yards to the Seattle 21-yard line and then threw deep down the right side for wide receiver Doug Baldwin, who drew the penalty from Fletcher and Seattle all of a sudden had the ball at the Philadelphia 35-yard line. After converting a third-and-2 play, Wilson threw to Baldwin, who beat safety Malcolm Jenkins, for the touchdown and the 10-point lead.
Jenkins had a chance midway through the fourth quarter to pick off a Wilson pass and take it to the house, but he didn’t make the catch. It was a microcosm of the way the game went for the Eagles.
“I was right there,” Jenkins said. “I need to make that play.”
The Eagles will look at the game tape and lament missed opportunities and move on. Dallas comes to town on Sunday. The NFC East lead is at stake with two 9-4 teams colliding for the second time in 17 days. Beating Dallas won’t be easy, not with the Cowboys resting after Thursday night’s blowout win in Chicago and still smarting from the 33-10 Eagles win on Thanksgiving Day.
“It’s a big game and we’ll be ready to play,” McCoy said. “It’s for our division. We have to play a lot better than we did today to win against Dallas.”
