Following back-to-back losses to NFC contenders, the Eagles (10-3) will travel to Seattle to take on the Seahawks (6-7).
Here are a few crucial games to follow:
Seahawks receivers vs. Eagles secondary
This is a tough matchup for the Eagles, who have been getting hammered in their secondary for the past few weeks—and really the entire season. Geno Smith is expected to make a full recovery from his groin injury that kept him out of action in Week 14, and he has three extremely dangerous receivers in D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba:
Metcalf: 7 touchdowns, 864 yards, and 51 catches
Lockett: 4 touchdowns, 711 yards, and 65 catches
Smith-Njigba: 2 touchdowns, 493 yards, and 49 catches
Metcalf, the college teammate of A.J. Brown, has been a pain in the Eagles’ side in the past and has had a few big games this season. Against the Eagles, Metcalf has 13 catches for 212 yards in two games. Against Darius Slay, Metcalf did a lot of his damage with 10 catches for 177 yards in Week 12 of the 2020 season. Metcalf caught 8 passes on 11 targets for 158 yards against Slay in that game, according to PFF.
It’s evident that Slay remains the Eagles’ best cornerback a few years later. Despite having the 28th-ranked pass defense, Slay is by no means the Eagles’ main issue. Conversely, James Bradberry is obviously not performing at the same level as he did in 2022 and is having a poor year. The fact that four of the Eagles’ five starting secondary players are older than thirty seems to be a concern, despite their recent efforts to bring some youth to the position with Eli Ricks, Sydney Brown, and Kelee Ringo.
The health of safety Reed Blankenship, who sustained a concussion against the Cowboys on Sunday night, is something else to keep an eye on this week. One more day could help Blankenship get through the formalities.
Eagles’ tackling vs. Seahawks’ running backs
The Eagles have experienced some significant tackling problems in recent weeks. These issues most likely have some real-world causes. It might be the result of certain players on that side of the ball being worn out from playing a lot of snaps in the previous few weeks. It might just be the result of the Eagles using some players who are difficult to bring down and are excellent after the catch. However, some of the poor angles and flagrantly missed tackles we’ve witnessed in recent weeks are still unacceptable.
It’s not a great running team, the Seahawks. They actually rank 22nd in yards per attempt (4.0) and 28th in rushing offense in the NFL. Given that the Eagles’ run defense has given up at least 138 yards in each of the previous four games, this could be a get-right game for them. In terms of rushing defense, the previous four games have also been their worst. Following the bye week, something altered.
Weeks 1-9: 66.3 yards per game (1st in NFL)
Weeks 11–14: 29th in the NFL with 156.3 yards per game.
Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet are the Seahawks’ two running backs in the backfield. Walker has 634 yards and six touchdowns this season, while Charbonnet has 412 yards and one more touchdown via ground play. Additionally, both pose a fair threat to intercept passes made by the backfield. These two running backs pose a threat because they can break tackles and run after contact. Charbonnet has nine broken tackles this season, while Walker has 11. Despite the quality of these two running backs, the Seahawks lack the horizontal running threats that the 49ers and Cowboys do.
Abraham Lucas vs. Haason Reddick
Although the Eagles’ defensive line is quite talented, it’s reasonable to say that the team hasn’t quite performed up to the extremely high expectations placed on them for this season. Although players like Fletcher Cox, Jalen Carter, and Haason Reddick are putting on some excellent individual performances, they haven’t been consistent enough overall.
Reddick, 29, reached double digits for the fourth straight season with a few sacks against the Cowboys, one of which came during garbage time. He accomplished this feat with the Eagles in the previous two years, the Panthers in 2021, and the Cardinals in 2020. Since Trent Cole, he is the first Eagles player to record double digits in consecutive seasons.
Right tackle Abraham Lucas and Reddick will make for an entertaining matchup in this game. The Washington State player selected in the third round of the 2022 draft missed a significant portion of the season due to a knee injury. (During that time, we ran into some of our old friend Jason Peters in Seattle, who played right tackle). However, Lucas made a comeback in late November and has now played in two games. It won’t get any easier against Reddick in Week 15, as he faced the 49ers and the Cowboys in back-to-back weeks. He has also faced Nick Bosa and Micah Parsons. Lucas has given up eight pressures in the past two games due to his poor pass protection against those elite players.
All things considered, the Seahawks offensive line is not very good. They are ranked as the No. 28 line in the NFL by PFF. Charles Cross, the left tackle, has performed admirably, but the right side of the line has not performed well. Lucas is starting at right tackle, while Anthony Bradford, an LSU fourth-round pick, is the starting right guard. The Seahawks rank in the middle of the pack with 32 sacks allowed this season.
D’Andre Swift vs. Unimpressive run defense
This season, the Seahawks’ defense ranks No. 28 in the NFL, but they haven’t played well either against the pass or the run. They rank 23rd in terms of run defense and allow 4.4 yards per carry. They have allowed an average of 159.3 yards per game on the ground in their last three games, despite playing the 49ers, Cowboys, and 49ers—two teams that recently crushed the Eagles—in those contests.
On the other hand, the Eagles’ ability to run the ball has recently declined. They gave up on it after being stuffed early against the 49ers. They had some success playing the Cowboys, but they ultimately lost a lot and had to try to escape by throwing.
Recall that in Weeks 2 and 3, Swift had 175 yards on the ground, followed by 130 yards. His best performance to date came in a game that went into overtime against the Bills, where he ran for 80 yards on 14 carries. Furthermore, Swift hasn’t contributed much to the receiving game either. He only had two catches for seven yards against the 49ers and wasn’t targeted against the Cowboys. (This season, the Seahawks have allowed the tenth-highest amount of receiving yards to running backs in the NFL.)
Swift hasn’t really been the issue. The Eagles have lost their numerical advantage because their run game hasn’t been as effective in the trenches and because they’ve used Jalen Hurts less frequently as a runner. The Eagles should be able to win up front and pick up chunks even if they don’t have the +1 against Hurts.
Mismatches vs. Jamal Adams
Jamal Adams is a bit of a limited player right now in his career, particularly when it comes to coverage. If the Eagles are able to get behind Adams, he is likely to give up a deep ball. Adams has been targeted 34 times and has surrendered 28 catches for 292 yards and 2 touchdowns in 9 games, according to PFF. Not bad stats, but he can be exploited, as demonstrated by the 54-yard touchdown last week by Deebo Samuel over him.
Although the Eagles are not afraid to go deep, there’s a chance they could make one in this game. Aside from that, Dallas Goedert should be targeted by the Eagles for Adams during this contest.
This season, the Seahawks have allowed 68 catches for 738 yards and three touchdowns against opposing tight ends. This season, they rank ninth in the NFL in terms of defense against opposing tight ends.
A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith vs. Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen
The Eagles faced a strong cornerback tandem in DaRon Bland and Stephon Gilmore against the Cowboys last week, and they will face another strong one this week in Devon Witherspoon, an impressive rookie, and second-year player Riq Woolen. Although the Seahawks’ passing defense is ranked No. 25 in the NFL, it is still important to note that Witherspoon is a strong contender for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Despite missing the game the previous week due to a hip injury, Witherspoon appears to be returning for this one. Woolen had an excellent first season, but in Year 2, he has somewhat returned to Earth.
Despite Witherspoon’s excellence, these corners do not change positions. Witherspoon plays left and Woolen plays right corner until they reach nickel, at which point he bumps in and gets replaced by Tre Brown. Due to a heel injury, Brown missed Week 14 as well, but he might play in this one.
The Seahawks will also concede some long balls. This season, they have allowed nine pass plays of forty yards or more; only four NFL teams have allowed more. This past week, three of those plays were made against the 49ers.