The Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles became the first game to be flexed from a Sunday to Monday as the matchup has major playoff implications for both teams. The Eagles have lost two straight and with that lost their lead in the NFC East after last week’s blowout loss at Dallas. But Philadelphia can clinch a playoff berth with a victory. The Seahawks are scuffling through the first four-game losing streak of Pete Carroll’s tenure after last week’s loss at San Francisco. The Seahawks haven’t lost five straight since the 2008 season, but are hopeful of having QB Geno Smith back after missing last week’s game.
PHILADELPHIA (10-3) at SEATTLE (6-7)
Monday, 8:15 p.m. EST, ESPN
BETTING LINE: Eagles by 3 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Philadelphia 8-4-1; Seattle 7-6
SERIES RECORD: Seahawks lead 12-7
LAST MEETING: Seahawks beat Eagles 23-17, Nov. 30, 2020, in Philadelphia.
LAST WEEK: Eagles lost to Cowboys 33-13, Seahawks lost to 49ers 28-16.
EAGLES OFFENSE: OVERALL (8), RUSH (8), PASS (13), SCORING (6)
EAGLES DEFENSE: OVERALL (22), RUSH (6), PASS (28), SCORING (28)
SEAHAWKS OFFENSE: OVERALL (20), RUSH (28), PASS (15), SCORING (T17)
SEAHAWKS DEFENSE: OVERALL (28), RUSH (23), PASS (25), SCORING (27)
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Eagles minus-4; Seahawks plus-1
EAGLES PLAYER TO WATCH: Keep an eye on QB Jalen Hurts. Hurts has lost consecutive starts for the first time since 2021. Against Dallas, he had his first game of the season without a touchdown. He went just 18 of 27 passing for 197 yards and 30 rushing yards. The Eagles have lost consecutive games by 20-plus points for the first time since 2015 when Chip Kelly was coach. Hurts has played through a bruised left knee and needed a concussion check in a blowout loss to the Niners. Hurts may have lost confidence in some of his receivers. He only targeted A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert in his 27 passing attempts.
SEAHAWKS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR DK Metcalf has enjoyed his two previous games against the Eagles. In the 2019 playoffs, Metcalf had seven catches for 160 yards and a touchdown. The following season, he had 10 catches for 177 yards in a regular-season victory. Metcalf was in the spotlight last week for his retaliation on San Francisco’s Fred Warner that led to a minor scuffle and ejection late in the loss to the 49ers. He had only two catches against the Niners and Seattle could use another big game from him against the Eagles.
KEY MATCHUP: Can the Eagles offense get back on track against Seattle’s porous defense? Philadelphia’s offense has not looked right the past two weeks against San Francisco and Dallas. The Eagles’ only touchdown in the loss to the Cowboys was a defensive score. But Seattle could be the get-right game for Philly. The Seahawks gave up 527 yards and 9.94 yards per play last week to San Francisco. Only Miami in its 70-point outburst against Denver averaged more yards per play in a single game this season.
KEY INJURIES: Philadelphia is mostly healthy going into the game, although S Reed Blankenship left last week’s game with a concussion. Seattle QB Geno Smith was expected to return to practice after missing last week’s game with a groin injury. Rookie CB Devon Witherspoon (hip) won’t have his status determined until closer to game day.
SERIES NOTES: The Seahawks have won seven straight and nine of the past 10 in the series going back to 2005. Only two of the nine wins during that span have been by six points or fewer. The past three wins have all come in Philadelphia, including the 2019 wild-card playoff victory.
STATS AND STUFF: Matchup became the first NFL game flexed from a Sunday to Monday under the league’s new broadcast agreements. The Patriots and Chiefs was the originally scheduled Monday night game … The Eagles have not lost three straight since the first month with Nick Sirianni in charge back during the 2021 season. … The Eagles can clinch a playoff spot with a win. A win would guarantee the Eagles at least the No. 5 seed in the playoffs, and keep the No. 1 seed and first-round bye in play. The Eagles would win the division with victories in their final four games. … QB Jalen Hurts can become the third QB in league history with nine games in a single season with a passing TD and rushing TD in the same game. The others are Josh Allen (2023) and Kyler Murray (2020). … D’Andre Swift is fourth in the league with 822 yards rushing, which is already a career high. … WR DeVonta Smith has caught at least five passes in four straight games. … LB Haason Reddick had two sacks last week and has 11 on the season. Reddick has had at least 11 sacks in four straight seasons. … Rookie DT Jalen Carter accounted for the Eagles only touchdown in the loss to Dallas with a fumble returned for a score. … The Seahawks on a four-game losing streak for the first time in Pete Carroll’s tenure and the first time since losing the last four games of the 2009 season. Seattle’s last five-game losing streak was 2008 when the Seahawks lost six straight and finished 4-12. … The Seahawks are hopeful QB Geno Smith (groin) will be able to start after missing last week’s game. Smith needs 82 yards passing to reach 3,000 in a season for the third time in his career. … QB Drew Lock made his first start since being acquired by the Seahawks before the 2022 season against the Niners. Lock was 22 of 31 for 269 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. … WR DK Metcalf has four touchdown catches in the past two games. Metcalf needs 36 yards receiving to become the third player with 900 yards and five or more TDs in each of their first five seasons. … WR Tyler Lockett needs two catches to become the second player in franchise history with 600 receptions. … Recently acquired DT Leonard Williams has had a sack in two straight games. He has not had a sack in three straight games since the middle of the 2021 season. … LB Bobby Wagner leads the NFC with 132 tackles. … SS Jamal Adams has not had a sack since Week 15 of the 2020 season.
FANTASY TIP: The Seahawks secondary has been picked apart recently, twice by San Francisco and once by Dallas. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith could both be in for big games against the 25th ranked team at stopping the pass.
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