Eagles Will Batter Seahawks On Monday Night Football In NFL Week 15
Both the Philadelphia Eagles (10-3) and Seattle Seahawks (6-7) could be without their starting quarterbacks when they meet at Lumen Field for Monday Night Football in NFL Week 15.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts is "questionable" with an illness and flew separately from the team to prevent getting his teammates sick. Seahawks 1st-string QB Geno Smith is a "longshot" to play Monday per NFL.com's Ian Rapoport.
If I'm a gambling man, and I am, then I'm betting Hurts plays Monday. Entering Week 15, Philadelphia was tied atop the NFC East with the Dallas Cowboys. Both were 10-3 after Dallas beat Philly 33-13 last week. Then Dallas got punked by the Buffalo Bills, dropping to 10-4.
Two of Philly's final three games at home and all three are against bad teams. The Eagles play the lowly New York Giants twice and the 3-11 Arizona Cardinals. The Cowboys visit the Miami Dolphins next week and host the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions the week after.
Philadelphia Eagles at Seattle Seahawks odds (DraftKings Sportsbook)
The Eagles have one of the most explosive passing attacks in the NFL and the Seahawks could be without a couple of starting defensive backs. Seattle S Jamal Adams and CB Devon Witherspoon are both "questionable" and neither practiced this week.
Philadelphia WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and TE Dallas Goedert form perhaps the best pass-catching unit in the NFL. Seattle's pass defense ranks toward the bottom of the league in several categories including QB Rating (25th).
Eagles WR A.J. Brown catches TD pass on the Buffalo Bills at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Furthermore, Seattle's defense has played only one good game since October. The Seahawks held the Los Angeles Rams to 17 points in Week 11 but still lost 17-16. They have given up at least 26 points in every game from then on.
Granted, Seattle's has played tough teams over the past three weeks. The San Francisco 49ers smacked the Seahawks 31-13 Thanksgiving and 28-16 last weekend. In between blowouts to the Niners, is a 41-35 loss at the Cowboys in Week 13.
With that in mind, the biggest question for this matchup is "Can the Seahawks keep up with the Eagles?" My answer is "No". I don't have confidence Seattle backup QB Drew Lock can pick apart a Philadelphia defense having a down-year.
San Francisco 49ers LB Dre Greenlaw sacks Seattle Seahawks QB Drew Lock at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. (Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports)
Lock made his 2023 debut last week vs. the 49ers. He completed 22-of-31 passes for 269 yards with a 2/2 TD/INT rate and 4 sacks. Yet, it was a C- effort by San Francisco's defense last week. The Niners scored in every quarter and were never going to lose that game.
This could be a "good stats" game for the Eagles' defense. Seattle's offensive line ranks 22nd in both pass and run blocking win rates, according to ESPN. The Seahawks have gained 88 or fewer rushing yards in four straight games. Philadelphia's pass rushers can pin their ears back and get after Lock.
Lastly, Philly can win this game by margin in high-leverage situations. Seattle ranks 31st in net 3rd-down conversion rate and 28th in red zone scoring differential. While the Eagles are elite at extending drives and converting in short-yardage situations.