Falling Philadelphia Eagles Crashland West To Meet Seattle Seahawks
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
by Aengus Moorehead
Analysis:
The Philadelphia Eagles have often performed their best in December under Andy Reid. The expected Super Bowl contenders will be hoping that trend continues, as they enter the month with their playoff hopes hanging by a thread heading into a critical Thursday night tussle with the Seattle Seahawks from CenturyLink Field.
Losses in three of the past four weeks have left the defending NFC East champion Eagles in a perilous position in regards to extending their streak of postseason appearances to four straight years. At 4-7, Philadelphia currently trails rival Dallas by three games in the division standings with five to play, and is behind the three top teams (Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit) in the conference Wild Card race by the same margin.
Though the Eagles clearly face an uphill climb, history says it's not an impossible one. Philadelphia was in a similar situation back in 2006, having compiled a 5-6 record through 12 weeks and faced with a two-game deficit behind the Cowboys in the NFC East. The team rallied to win its final five tests to leap past both Dallas and the New York Giants and seize the division crown.
That 2006 comeback was fueled by then-backup quarterback Jeff Garcia, standing in for an injured Donovan McNabb at that time, and the Eagles may have to lean on an another second-stringer for Thursday's crucial test. With Michael Vick still on the mend from a rib fracture sustained in a Week 10 defeat to Arizona, Vince Young seems likely to draw the start under center for a third consecutive week.
Young threw for a career-high 400 yards while completing 26-of-48 attempts in last week's loss to the Patriots, but Philadelphia's inconsistent defense was shredded for 361 yards and three scoring passes by New England superstar Tom Brady and allowed four touchdown drives of 69 yards or more.
The Eagles had permitted just 278 total yards in a much-needed 17-10 victory over the Giants on the road the previous Sunday.
Seattle is coming off a disappointing defensive display of its own from a week ago, surrendering 416 total yards in a 23-17 home setback to Washington that ended the Redskins' six-game losing streak.
The Seahawks had a 17-7 lead early in the fourth quarter before giving up a pair of big-play touchdowns, a 28-yard scamper by Redskins rookie running back Roy Helu and a 50-yard connection from quarterback Rex Grossman to Anthony Armstrong, that put Washington ahead. Seattle also hurt itself with penalties all throughout the afternoon, being flagged nine times for a total of 91 yards, while triggerman Tarvaris Jackson managed just 144 yards on an off-target 14- of-30 passing.
The Seahawks had posted consecutive wins prior to that result, following up a 22-17 upset of AFC North co-leader Baltimore on Nov. 13 with a 24-7 road pasting of St. Louis in Week 11.
Philadelphia begins a stretch of back-to-back away tilts and sports a 3-2 record as the visitor this season, as well as a stellar 35-14 mark in December over Reid's first 12 years as head coach. The Eagles have gone 10-2 during the month over the past three seasons.
Philadelphia has a 7-5 edge in the all-time series between these teams and bested the Seahawks by a 26-7 count in the most recent meeting, which took place at CenturyLink Field in 2008. That verdict marked the sixth straight time the visiting team had come out on top in this set. Seattle registered a 42-0 rout of the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in 2005 as well as a 28-24 road decision in 2007, with Philadelphia prevailing in trips to the Emerald City in both 2001 (27-3) and 2002 (27-20). The Seahawks began the string of road wins with a 38-0 shellacking at Veterans Stadium in 1998.
Reid owns a 3-2 career record against Seattle, with all three wins coming on the road, while Pete Carroll lost in his only previous clash with both the Eagles and Reid as a head coach. That occurred in Reid's first season in Philadelphia in 1999, when the Eagles notched a 24-9 home triumph.
Time & Venue:
- 8:20 PM ET, Thursday, December 1, 2011. CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington
Last Week's results:
- Philadelphia Eagles (+3) loses to visiting New England Patriots 38-20.
- Seattle Seahawks (-3.5) loses to visiting Washington Redskins 23-17.
Last week's ATS:
- Underdog Philadelphia Eagles (4-7) loses and does not cover
- Favourite Seattle Seahawks (4-7) loses outright.
NFL Football Odds: Eagles -3, O/U 43
Next up:
- Philadelphia at Miami, Sunday, December 11
- Seattle home to St. Louis, Monday, December 12
Vince Young is credited/blamed for bestowing the team with an unneeded nickname in the preseason and saddling it with even loftier expectations. Young started his second straight game in place of Vick and threw for 400 yards in Philadelphia's lopsided 38-20 loss to the New England Patriots. LeSean McCoy, who is the league's leading rusher with 1,050 yards, received just 10 carries last weekend. McCoy will likely see a larger workload against the Seahawks, who do boast the league's 11th-ranked rush defense despite surrendering 108 yards to Roy Helu on Sunday.
QB Tarvaris Jackson isn't lighting up the scoreboard, having averaged just 182.5 yards in his last four contests. During that stretch, Jackson has three touchdowns and six interceptions. He'll likely be without WR Sidney Rice, who suffered his second concussion of the season on Sunday. RB Marshawn Lynch rushed 24 times for 111 yards on Sunday, but Seattle was unable to grind out the clock and watched a 10-point lead evaporate in a loss to the Redskins.
The Eagles have never lost a Thursday night game in three previous scenarios under Reid, though having to take a cross-country trip on a short week is a potential pitfall they'll have to deal with. The quick turnaround may not do Seattle any favors either when considering the error-filled display they put forth on Sunday, meaning Carroll and his staff will have a limited time frame to correct the penalties and missed assignments that doomed the Seahawks against Washington.
The Seahawks have made Lynch the focal point of the offense, with the workhorse back having received over 100 carries over the past four weeks, while the Eagles are 4-1 in the five games McCoy has eclipsed the 100-yard mark this season. Containing him is essential to Seattle's chances of winning, as the Seahawks are 0-6 when allowing over 90 rushing yards and 4-1 when keeping its opponent below that number.
When the Eagles play well on the defensive side, they've usually come out a winner this season. Philadelphia has held three teams under 300 total yards in 2011 and emerged victorious every time, and they'll be facing a foe that averages less than that mark for the season. If the Eagles can bottle up Lynch and subject the spotty Tarvaris Jackson to their formidable pass rush, that would appear to be a foolproof formula for success.
Disgruntled Eagles WR DeSean Jackson was benched in the fourth quarter on Sunday after dropping three passes. Despite his season-long troubles, the two-time Pro Bowler will start on Thursday.
Seattle is ranked second in the NFL in total penalties (105). The Seahawks committed just 101 penalties all of last season.
Prized offseason acquisition CB Nnamdi Asomugha (hyperextended knee) is also a game-time decision for the ailing Eagles.
Seattle is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
Seattle is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Philadelphia
Seattle is 6-2-1 ATS in its last 9 games
Philadelphia is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Philadelphia is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games
Philadelphia is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games
These two teams have been emblematic of the unpredictable nature of this NFL season. The Eagles possess significantly more proven talent than the Seahawks and seem to have several matchup advantages they can exploit, but that's also been the case in a few other games that have wound up as losses during their underachieving campaign.
Previous wins over playoff contenders such as Baltimore and the New York Giants serve as evidence that Seattle can't be dismissed, but the Seahawks are going to have to deliver a far more crisp effort than the mistake-prone one they had just a few days ago. With Young now a bit more comfortable operating the offense and Reid's track record in late- season games -- not to mention the fact that Philadelphia is playing for its playoff lives -- the Eagles should have the edge on a Seattle squad with considerably less firepower than the opponent they took on last week.Bet on NFL Football games with Bodog Sportsbook, click here!
NFL Football Pick: Take Eagles.
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afc north - andy reid - anthony armstrong - centurylink field - desean jackson - donovan mcnabb - lesean mccoy - marshawn lynch - michael vick - new england patriots
