Russell Wilson, DK Metcalf Propel Seahawks to Road Win over Carson Wentz, Eagles
Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacek
Featured ColumnistDecember 1, 2020
The Seattle Seahawks are back on track.
Seattle defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 23-17 in Monday's NFC showdown at Lincoln Financial Field and improved to 8-3 on the season. Russell Wilson and DK Metcalf led the way for the NFC West leaders, who have won two in a row following a rough 1-3 stretch in the previous four games.
The Eagles are still trending in the wrong direction and fell to 3-7-1 with a third consecutive loss. They are looking up at the 4-7 New York Giants and Washington Football Team in the abysmal NFC East.
Notable Player Stats
- Russell Wilson, QB, SEA: 22-of-31 for 230 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs
- Chris Carson, RB, SEA: 8 carries for 41 yards, 1 TD; 2 catches for 18 yards
- DK Metcalf, WR, SEA: 10 catches for 177 yards
- Carson Wentz, QB, PHI: 25-of-45 for 215 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
- Dallas Goedert, TE, PHI: 7 catches for 75 yards, 1 TD
- Richard Rodgers, TE, PHI: 3 catches for 52 yards, 1 TD
Carson Wentz Struggles Again in Marquee Game
Something had to give in Monday's contest.
On one side was Carson Wentz, who has been the subject of criticism and job-security questions amid poor and inconsistent play. On the other was Seattle's defense, which entered play last in the league in yards allowed per game (434.9) and could be the unit that prevents the Seahawks from living up to expectations as a Super Bowl contender.
Not even Seattle's porous defense changed the narrative on Wentz, though.
Benjamin Solak @BenjaminSolakWhile the context of Wentz's coaching staff/supporting cast has undoubtedly contributed to Wentz's decline, it is not difficult to evaluate him. He's playing poorly. While Hurts entering the roster wouldn't solve the context issues, there's a chance *he alone* plays better.
He found himself under constant pressure from a Seahawks defensive front that looked much better with Carlos Dunlap and didn't get much help from the rushing attack or with dropped passes. That Jalen Hurts came in and completed his first pass didn't help Wentz's case, but the starter finally broke through with a touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert in the final 20 seconds of the first half.
That touchdown was more a mirage than a sign of things to come.
Philadelphia lost its fleeting momentum when a promising drive stalled for a field goal in the third quarter. From there, Wentz made two poor throws on fourth downs—one of which K.J. Wright knocked down and the other of which Quandre Diggs intercepted—to all but end the Eagles' chances even though a Hail Mary to Richard Rodgers made the final score closer than the game actually felt.
It was more of the same for a quarterback who looks nothing like the Pro Bowler and MVP candidate with a promising future from the 2017 campaign. The questions about Hurts seeing more playing time will only get louder if Wentz's inconsistency continues, and Monday's performance did nothing to change that.
It didn't help the Eagles' playoff chances, either.
DK Metcalf Wows as Seattle Offense Does Enough to Win
Wilson has his work cut out for him if he is going to keep up with Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers in the MVP race, and he had an opportunity to make a statement under the national spotlight Monday.
That statement fell flat out of the gates as Eagles defensive end Derek Barnett stuffed a 4th-and-goal play and 4th-and-2 play on the opening two Seattle possessions.
Things seemed to unravel a bit when the Seahawks went three-and-out on the next possession, but it was just a matter of time before the Wilson-Metcalf combination found its footing. Darius Slay struggled to contain the physical receiver, who set up a David Moore touchdown with a long reception and put his team in the red zone before a Chris Carson touchdown.
Carson's ability to take some of the pressure off Wilson's shoulders in his first game since Oct. 25 added another dimension to the Seattle offense and made it more difficult to simply double Metcalf.
It was a testament to the Eagles' bend-but-don't break defense that Seattle didn't fully pull away with Metcalf making head-turning plays against an overmatched Slay as the visitors settled for multiple field goals in the second half.
The Seahawks will surely look back on missed chances, including when a Carlos Hyde touchdown was called back for holding, but the Metcalf show was enough to dispatch an Eagles team that didn't have the firepower to keep pace.
What's Next?
Both teams face NFC foes in Week 13 when the Seahawks host the Giants while the Eagles are at the Green Bay Packers.