Enemy Confidential: Seahawks Face Desperate Eagles Squad Aiming to Keep Playoff Hopes Alive
Just a few months ago, the Eagles found themselves atop the NFL, a trendy preseason pick by many to advance to their second Super Bowl in three years. Today, they’re sitting at 5-5 on the season and fighting for their playoff lives in a top-heavy NFC as they get set to host the Seahawks in a key matchup Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.
Where did it all go wrong? Some of the blame is being placed at the feet of quarterback Carson Wentz, a popular MVP candidate among football writers prior to the start of the season. But while his passer rating of 91.4 is the lowest mark he’s recorded since his rookie year of 2016, he shouldn’t be the only scapegoat. Injuries have shredded his running back and receiver corps, and while the defense is ninth in the league in yards allowed per game, they gave up a combined 75 points in consecutive losses to the Vikings and Cowboys last month.
Now, there are questions about coach Doug Pederson’s play-calling and Wentz’s accuracy after a lackluster 17-10 loss to New England last week, a game in which Philadelphia never seemed to have a chance despite it being a one-score contest most of the way.
Yet despite all of that, the Eagles sit just a game behind the Cowboys for the top spot in the NFC East, and could get back to feeling good about themselves with a home win over the Seahawks this week.
Here’s a closer look at the Seahawks upcoming opponent, including series history, additions/departures, key numbers, and Carroll’s evaluation of an Eagles team being written off by many despite still being smack dab in the middle of the NFC playoff picture:
SERIES HISTORY
--17th regular season meeting. Seattle leads the series 9-7.
The Seahawks have dominated this series in recent history, winning four straight and six of the last seven. The last time these two teams met, the Eagles were flying high, sporting a 10-1 record as they came into CenturyLink Field to face a 7-4 Seahawks team just trying to hang around in the playoff race. The result was a wire-to-wire 24-10 drubbing by the home team as Seattle’s defense shut down Philly’s running game while limiting the damage from Wentz despite the fact he threw for 348 yards in the game.
WHAT’S NEW
--Arrivals
The Eagles biggest splash in free agency was defensive lineman Malik Jackson, enticing him with a three-year, $30 million dollar deal after he was released by Jacksonville for salary cap relief. They also brought wide receiver Desean Jackson back to the site of his greatest achievements after newly hired Bruce Arians decided he didn’t want him in Tampa Bay any longer. Unfortunately for the Eagles, however, both Jackson’s will miss the rest of the season on injured reserve. Running back Jordan Howard was acquired in a trade with Chicago and free agent defensive end Vinny Curry was brought back to where his career started as well.
In the draft, the Eagles landed Washington State offensive tackle Andre Dillard, considered the best pass protector in the draft, in the first round. He was expected to sit and learn behind perennial Pro Bowler Jason Peters his rookie season. Running back Miles Sanders and wide receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside were also expected to play big roles as rookies. Both have had their moments.
--Departures
Quarterback Nick Foles was allowed to become a free agent as the team committed a massive new contract to Wentz and Foles ended up signing with Jacksonville. Two former Seahawks also became former Eagles over the offseason, with receiver Golden Tate leaving as a free agent and defensive tackle Michael Bennett being traded to the Patriots. Running back Jay Ajayi was jettisoned as well, although he was recently re-signed due to the Eagles injury situation at the position.
INJURY REPORT
Starting right tackle Lane Johnson still hasn’t cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol and it appears at this point he is unlikely to play Sunday. If he can’t go, Dillard will earn his fourth start, although he doesn’t have much experience playing on the right side. Receiver Nelson Agholor also didn’t practice Wednesday. He’s still nursing a knee injury suffered on the final play of the Eagles loss to the Patriots last week. Other key players who were limited in practice Wednesday were Peters, Howard and receiver Alshon Jeffery.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
6.6: Yards per attempt by Carson Wentz, one yard less than in 2018.
1.2: Interceptions per 100 passes attempted by Wentz, fourth-best mark in the NFL.
12: Broken tackles by Eagles running backs, tied for fifth-lowest total in the league.
4.3: Yards after the catch per reception by Eagles receivers, 30th in the NFL.
21: Total dropped passes by Philly's receivers, fourth-worst in the league.
86: Rushing yards per game allowed by Philadelphia’s defense, fourth-best in the NFL.
34.5: Percentage of opposing drives ending in a score, 11th-best mark in the league.
64: Total quarterback hits by Eagles, tied for ninth among 32 NFL teams.
9: Pass plays of 40-plus yards given up by Philly's defense, fourth-worst in the league.
CARROLL’S THOUGHTS
--Carroll was careful to point out that despite their recent struggles, this Eagles team is not unlike the one that took home a Super Bowl title just two years ago.
“They have a lot of similar players still,” Carroll said. “A lot of familiar guys from that time. They’ve just grown and adapted over the years. Those years are so magical. They’re hard to come back from sometimes. Most commonly, teams struggle coming back. It takes a little while to rebound. I’m not saying that’s what they’re doing. This is still the nucleus of a really good team. They’ve got all the elements.”
--Specifically in regards to Carson Wentz, the Seahawks coach raved about the fourth-year signal caller.
“He’s just got the whole offense, he’s doing it all.” said Carroll. “This is a really good player. He’s tough. He’s hard to sack. He runs the ball well when he takes off. He does a lot of stuff. He has a lot of offense that he can handle. He can move the ball all over the field. Big arm guy. The thing I’ve liked about him and I thought you could tell right away in his first time of really playing consistent was that he’s a real competitor and he makes things happen.”
--While the Seahawks will enter this game relatively healthy, the slew of Eagles injuries haven’t made it easy for the coaching staff to draw up a focused game plan.
“It kind of expands the game plan a little bit because they use their personnel so well that they do different things with different guys,” he said. “Not knowing who’s going to play, we have to anticipate their whole plan. We have to get ready for everything. It presents a problem.”
--Another opponent Carroll is prepared to face is the Eagles home crowd, notorious for being loud, rowdy, and much more. Fans at Lincoln Financial Field have been known to throw batteries at players and coaches, and are infamous for pelting a 19-year-old dressed as Santa Claus with snowballs during a game in the late 60s.
“Back in the day, in the east coast, people used to talk about how tough it is in New York and Boston,” Carroll said. “There isn’t anything like Philadelphia. It’s hard. They have a great fan base and they’re wild about their sports. It’s highly competitive.”
We will see just how competitive it is this Sunday as the Seahawks face the Eagles, with kickoff set for 10 AM PST.
