Semi-coherent Philadelphia Eagles vs. Seattle Seahawks preview: The one where the Eagles take on the defending champs

Last Thursday was glorious.

Many people (like myself) predicted an Eagles’ loss against the Cowboys. Instead, we got to watch a mismatch of a game in which the Eagles established themselves as the class of the NFC East.

Yes, the short week may have hurt Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. But it seems disingenuous for Cowboys fans to complain about having to play on a short week, since history has shown that the home team has an advantage in Thursday games.

Besides, the Cowboys could always offer to give up their traditional Thanksgiving game if they feel it’s such a burden.

The Eagles get a nice ten-day break between games. This has probably been a welcome break for the players, but it won’t provide them any competitive advantage. The Seahawks also played on Thanksgiving and have enjoyed the same amount of rest.

That’s probably a good thing. If the Eagles want to see how they match up against one of the conference heavyweights (and the Seahawks are still the defending champs), it’s best if the teams are coming in on even terms.

Seattle Seahawks

2014 record: 8-4 (3-3 road)

Head coach: Pete Carroll (46-30 with Seahawks)

Last week: Defeated San Francisco 49ers 19-3

The last time they met

In week 13 of the 2011 season, the Philadelphia Eagles were still clinging to hopes of a playoff berth. But at 4-7, they didn’t have much margin for error.

Michael Vick was (surprise!) injured, so the quarterback for the game was backup Vince Young. Young admittedly hadn’t played that poorly in relief up to that point, but on this night, he showed why he was no longer an NFL starter.

Vince Young. Image Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Young threw a ridiculously bad pass on the Eagles first drive that was intercepted. The Seahawks were able to convert that into a touchdown. On the Eagles’ first series of the second half, Young also threw an interception that resulted in a Seahawks touchdown.

In the fourth quarter, the Eagles trailed by ten, and still had some hope. That hope was extinguished when Young was picked off yet again. This time, the Seahawks offense didn’t get a chance to capitalize as the defender ran it back himself.

Adding insult to injury, Young threw one last interception on the Eagles’ final drive. That was thankfully the last pass that Young ever threw in an Eagles uniform.

The Eagles did go on to win their final four games of the season, but that wasn’t enough to make the playoffs. All it did was convince the Eagles that they should bring everyone (minus Young) back for another shot the following year.

What’s the deal with the Seahawks

The defending champs haven’t had an easy go of it this season.

Part of the problem is that the NFC West may be the strongest top-to-bottom division in football. Part of the problem is that as defending champs, they have a huge bulls-eye on their chests. And part of the problem is that the Seahawks simply aren’t playing as well as they did last season.

Heavy is the head that wears the crown? Image Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

That appears to be changing. In recent weeks, they’ve looked a lot more like the dominant champs from 2013. They’ve held opponents to a total of six points over the past two weeks.

The Seahawks secondary is imposing, and it will be interesting to see how Mark Sanchez fares against them. Against the Cowboys, Chip Kelly seemed to limit how many times Sanchez threw into coverage. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him use a similar strategy here.

If the Seahawks defense has a weakness, it is against running plays up the middle. I wonder if this means that Chris Polk will get a heavier than usual workload on Sunday.

Featured Seahawks player: Marshawn Lynch

Early in his career, Marshawn Lynch wasn’t considered an elite running back. He was a first round draft choice of the Buffalo Bills (which meant he was pretty much destined to be a disappointment) who never lived up that billing with the Bills.

He was eventually traded to the Seahawks in the midst of the 2010 season, but he still didn’t give any sign that his career was about to take off.

And then in the playoffs, this play happened:

That is considered by some to be the best rushing play in league history. The Saints look like they are simply incapable of bringing him to the ground.

Ever since that day, Lynch has been one of the top running backs in the league. He’s currently fifth in the league with 956 rushing yards, and has nine touchdowns to go along with them.

Reason to hate the Seahawks

Some people find Richard Sherman to be a bit offensive. But I’m not sure why.

Key Eagles storyline: The tempo offense will soon spread

Last Thursday might have been the beginning of the end for Chip Kelly’s offense. The entire country got to see how the Cowboys simply couldn’t keep pace and looked winded.

If not for the extended halftime show by Pitbull, the Cowboys might have been in even worse shape. Image Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL is a copycat league. If something works, other teams will be sure to copy it. Or at the very least, they’ll find ways to disrupt it.

It may be a few years before the trend truly takes hold, but it’s a safe bet that at least a few teams will be looking for coaches who prefer “tempo” offenses this coming offseason.

Elsewhere in the NFL

Barring an injury to Aaron Rodgers, it looks like the Green Bay Packers are going to be the NFC’s top seed. This raises an important question: Can anyone possibly beat the Packers at Lambeau Field in January?

The Eagles might not have put their best foot forward when they played there last month, and I’d expect them to look better if a rematch occurred. But could they play well enough to pull off an upset? That doesn’t seem likely.

Sanchez vs. Foles

Sanchez was helped by a strong running game on Thanksgiving. But he still played a mistake-free game where he looked completely in charge of the Eagles’ offense.

Disney song that relates to this week’s game

The Seahawks are a good team no matter where they play, but they are notoriously tough to beat at home. The Eagles have been no slouches at home either, and haven’t lost a regular season game at Lincoln Financial Field in over a year.

The Eagles are therefore very happy to tell the Seahawks to “Be Our Guest.”

Prediction

This looks to be a low scoring game. The Eagles can probably keep the Seahawks’ run-based offense in check, but I think they’ll have some offensive troubles of their own.

The Seahawks are playing very well on defense right now. Can Sanchez play two mistake-free games in a row? I’m a bit skeptical.

Seahawks 24 – Eagles 20