3 Up, 3 Down: Winners, Losers From Seahawks Week 12 Win vs. Eagles
Following a 17-9 victory over the Eagles, the Seahawks improved to 9-2 overall and 6-0 away from CenturyLink Field this season.
Even without star Jadeveon Clowney, this latest victory was earned once again by an increasingly reliable defense. The Seahawks created a total of five turnovers, which prevented the Eagles from finding a rhythm offensively in front of their home fans.
While the Seahawks themselves weren’t perfect converting just five first downs on 14 third down opportunities, their offense capitalized on a pair of explosive plays from Rashaad Penny and Malik Turner to score two touchdowns.
Let's dive into our three big winners and three losers from Seattle's Week 12 victory at Lincoln Financial Field.
Three Up
Ziggy Ansah
Even without Clowney playing due to a hip injury, Seattle’s pass rush played a major factor in the final outcome of this game. Overall, the Seahawks were able to generate nine hits on quarterback Carson Wentz, including a trio of sacks. Leading the charge, Ansah recorded his best performance since signing with Seattle in May.
Rejuvenated after the bye week, the seventh-year pro produced four tackles along with two tackles for loss. Ansah was also able to record 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble late in the second quarter, which halted two late scoring drives by Philadelphia and held the home team to three points going into halftime.
Rashaad Penny
Earlier this week, the Seahawks stated their desire to use Penny more in their running game and they certainly achieved that feat in Philadelphia. Coming into this game, the second-year back had received just six carries over the previous two games. As coach Pete Carroll mentioned post-game, Penny played like he was “shot out of a cannon” against the Eagles.
During the Seahawks victory over the Eagles, Penny rushed 14 times for a career-high 129 yards along with a "Beast Mode" worthy run that resulted in his second touchdown of the season. Bursting through the middle, Penny broke through multiple tackles and threw a nasty stiff arm at the end of the run, finding the end zone from 58 yards out to extend Seattle’s lead to 17-3.
Russell Wilson
While this wasn’t one of his usual MVP-caliber outings, Wilson still played a big factor in helping Seattle earn its ninth victory of the season. The eighth-year quarterback completed 13 of his 25 pass attempts for 200 yards along with a flee-flicker touchdown pass to Malik Turner in the first quarter.
Even with the windy conditions at Lincoln Financial Field, Wilson was able to receive the lateral pass from running back Chris Carson and then lofted the football perfectly 33 yards down the middle of the field to Turner in the end zone for the score. Despite being sacked six times and throwing his third interception of the season, Wilson battled through the elements and provided the Seahawks with another quality performance.
Three Down
DK Metcalf
For a second straight game, Metcalf struggled reeling in passes from Wilson. The rookie receiver caught three of his six targets for 35 yards, but all three of those incompletions dropped right through his hands and should have been caught. Starting on Seattle's first drive of the game, Metcalf failed to catch an eight-yard pass that would have extended the drive. Instead, Michael Dickson came on to punt.
Prior to the end of the first half, Metcalf misjudged a 38-yard bomb from Wilson and after bobbling the catch, couldn't haul it in.. If he could've hauled it in, Seattle would have entered the second half ahead by two scores. Then on the opening possession after halftime, Metcalf dropped his third pass of the game, forcing yet another punt from Seattle. The rookie has been exciting this year, but he has to find more consistency catching the football.
Penalties
The Seahawks certainly didn’t do themselves any favors by committing such a large number of penalties on Sunday. Racking up 12 penalties for a total of 90 yards, Seattle hindered its ability to sustain offensive drives due to unnecessary infractions committed throughout the game.
A pair of false start penalties from guard Mike Iupati as well as a tripping penalty against Joey Hunt ruined three possible scoring drives, knocking the Seahawks out of field goal range each time. Heading down the stretch, the Seahawks will need to be much more disciplined or it could potentially lead to their downfall during the playoffs.
Missed Opportunities
Throughout their victory against the Eagles, the Seahawks had multiple chances to put this game out of reach. However, errors and misplays occurred frequently on offense, leaving the outcome in doubt well into the fourth quarter. Seattle's defense was able to produce a total of five turnovers, only to have their offense produce just three points off those turnovers.
The Seahawks also could very easily have scored two additional touchdowns during the first half. If not for Wilson overthrowing tight end Jacob Hollister, who was wide open in the end zone, along with Metcalf's blatant drop, Seattle could have been up by as many as 18 points at intermission. Leaving those points against better opponents will be costly.
