The Philadelphia Eagles look to beat Russell Wilson for the first time

Since coming into the league in 2012, Russell Wilson has had the Philadelphia Eagles’ number. With Wild Card Weekend coming up, the Eagles look to change recent history to continue their improbable run.

About a month and a half ago, the Seattle Seahawks slipped past the Eagles in an ugly 17-9 win at the Linc. This was game two of an embarrassing three-game losing streak for the Philadelphia Eagles, which was then capped off by a loss to the Miami Dolphins. 

Playoff hopes dwindled for Philly, as Seattle battled San Francisco for the top of the NFC West. But now, it’s the playoffs, a whole new atmosphere.

Surprisingly enough, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Seattle Seahawks have never faced off in the postseason. However, they have squared off four times since Wilson entered the NFL. Wilson sports a 4-0 record against the Birds. Wilson has averaged 240.5 yards in his four games against Philadelphia, where he also has a 7-1 TD-INT ratio.

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The Positives

The Eagles are getting hot at the right time. They have rattled off four straight wins en route to the NFC East title. At home this season, Philly is 5-3 at home, where their defense thrives. In total, the Eagles have only allowed 13 touchdowns at home, vs. 26 (18 in the air!) on the road. In the month of December since Doug Pederson took over as coach, the Eagles are 11-4 in December as well.

Carson Wentz is also playing some of the best football of his career. In the month of December, Wentz has thrown for over 1,500 yards and has 10 touchdowns with a lone interception coming against Miami on December 1st. Let’s not forget that he’s doing this without his top four receiving options, either.

Boston Scott has also led the pure domination of a ground attack as of late. In the division-clinching game against the Giants on Sunday, Scott rushed for three touchdowns and accumulated 138 total yards. He and Wentz will look to lead the depleted Eagles’ offense in the first week of the playoffs.

Finally, the Seahawks also seem to have caught the injury bug to their starters as well. Quandre Diggs and starting tackle Duane Brown are likely to be out for the Wild Card game. Toss in a few injuries here and there to his receivers as well, and Wilson has only thrown for seven touchdowns with two interceptions in his five December games.

The Negatives

First things first, no one can overlook the Eagles’ lengthy injury report. Sure, they have had the spark of youth as of late, but the inexperience in the playoffs can be crucial. This includes Carson Wentz, who will be making his first playoff start in his career.

On the contrary, playoff Russell Wilson is a whole new breed. Having a two Super Bowl runs and one title under his belt, Wilson has dominated in the playoffs. His 8-5 record may not show it, but his 22 touchdowns in those 13 starts showcases him and Pete Carroll’s legacy despite going through “rebuild” years.

With this comes what was mentioned above. The Seattle Seahawks have held control of the head-to-head games between the two franchises. Seattle leads 10-7 in the overall record, but have rattled off five straight wins against Philly.

Prediction

Putting all fandom aside, this will be one tough game for the Eagles. It would not surprise me to see the Seahawks as heavy favorites in terms of public betting, but this game should be close. Assuming the defense can hold down the fort as they’ve done at home all season, this one will fall on the offense.

Inexperience could be the deciding factor in this game. However, it’s very plausible that whoever gets the ball last could win this game, as both teams have done well in the fourth quarter after starting slow all season.

If the Eagles can put a QB spy on Wilson, and keep the Seahawks to under 21 points, then this game is theirs to win.

Eagles win: 24-20.