A pair of second-place teams try to keep pace in their respective divisions when the Seattle Seahawks take on the host Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Seattle is a game behind San Francisco in the NFC West, while Philadelphia is a game back in the NFC East standings behind Dallas.
The Seahawks haven’t played since their thrilling overtime victory over the 49ers in the Monday Night Football game of Week 10, handing San Francisco its first loss. Seattle has won three straight heading into this contest but can’t let up if it wants a division title. The Eagles had their two-game winning streak snapped last week by New England, falling 17-10 after jumping out to a 10-0 first-half lead.
The moneyline for this contest has the Seattle Seahawks -105 and the Philadelphia Eagles -115. Philadelphia is a one-point favorite at home, while the over/under for the game has been set at 47.
Magic Man
Russell Wilson continues to astound with his play for the Seahawks, throwing for 2,737 yards and 23 touchdowns against just two interceptions this season. His escapability and scrambling ability make it difficult on opposing defenses to keep him penned in, as he’s also run for 256 yards and three scores. The Seahawks have a solid running game as well, with Chris Carson leading the way with 853 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 4.3 yards per carry.
Seattle doesn’t have a top-notch defense, allowing 372.9 yards and 25.4 points per game to rank in the bottom third of the league in both categories. The Seahawks can get after the quarterback, with Jadeveon Clowney and Mychal Kendricks tied for the team lead with three sacks apiece. Linebacker Bobby Wagner is all over the field, ranking fourth in the NFL with 97 tackles this season.
Needing Consistency
Last week was a perfect microcosm of the Eagles’ season, with a productive first half offensively followed by a non-productive second half. Unfortunately, quarterback Carson Wentz gets a lot of the blame for that, though he has thrown for 2,274 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. But Wentz has actually played every game this season, which can’t be said about a lot of the offense around him. Wentz has been sacked 25 times thanks to a constantly fluctuating offensive line, and his receiving corps seems to change every week due to injuries.
Zach Ertz has been the one constant for Wentz, as the tight end hasn’t missed a game and leads the team with 55 catches for 621 yards. But DeSean Jackson is done for the year after playing only three games, Alshon Jeffery has struggled with injuries all season long, and Nelson Agholor has been unreliable catching the ball. For this game, Jeffery and Agholor are both questionable, as is leading rusher Jordan Howard (525 yards, six touchdowns).
Road Warriors
The Seahawks have lost just two games this season — both at home. When they hit the road, the Seahawks have an us-against-the-world mentality that seems to serve them well. And they have Wilson. Philadelphia just hasn’t shown enough consistency to believe they’re going to pull this one out. I’m taking Seattle +1 to win this one.
