5 takeaways from Seattle’s victory over Philadelphia in Week 12
The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 23-17 to improve to 8-3 on the season and first place in the NFC West. Here are five takeaways from the game.
Inability to convert 4th downs early on
On the Seahawks’ opening drive, they drove to the red zone and went for a fourth and goal at the 2-yard line, hoping to start out with a 7-0 lead as opposed to taking the easy points. They would fail to convert it, but would also come up short on their next drive when they went for a fourth and 2 in Eagles territory. Although it didn’t matter in the end, the Seahawks’ execution on these aggressive decisions must improve if they wish to set the tone early.
Defense generates pressure on Eagles’ injured offensive line
The defense turned in another strong performance this week with six sacks and plenty of pressure on Carson Wentz, which is exactly what this team needs down the stretch. Yes, Wentz has been the most sacked quarterback in the NFL this season and his offensive line is ravaged by injuries, but the fact that the pass rush consistently provided pressure is assuring. They should continue to take advantage of their easy stretch of schedule and limit the offensive pyrotechnics. Jarran Reed and Carlos Dunlap suffered injuries near the end of the game (although the former returned), which is concerning. Let’s hope they’re not too severe.
The Eagles should not have passed on DK Metcalf
Metcalf always seems to play with a chip on his shoulder against the Eagles, who picked JJ Arcega-Whiteside over him in the 2019 NFL draft. He showed out once again tonight, racking up 10 receptions for 177 receiving yards and going up against Darius Slay for a good chunk of the evening. Although he had an egregious drop in the end zone, he was the best receiver on the field and topped 1,000 receiving yards on the season. He also recovered the onside kick to clinch the win after Philadelphia’s late touchdown to make the score 23-17. The Eagles should not have passed on this man.
Russell Wilson avoids turnovers once again
Wilson, who turned 32 years old on Sunday, had a few erratic throws but also notched his second straight game with no turnovers. He completed 22 of his 31 passes (71%) for 230 passing yards and a touchdown and is now 10-2 on "Monday Night Football." Another efficient performance from the seasoned veteran and one he should continue to build on.
Lackluster officiating
There were multiple officiating errors on both sides tonight. Chief among them was Wentz not getting called for a blatant case of intentional grounding on the Eagles’ first touchdown drive and Avonte Maddox getting hit with a highly questionable pass interference call to keep a Seahawks drive going. Missed calls happen, but this was simply egregious. Get it together, NFL.
