Tonight, we’ve got the Eagles and Seahawks wrapping up Week 15 at Lumen Field in Seattle! Both teams come into the game reeling from consecutive losses and are in need of a win to get back on track. For Seattle, a spot in the postseason hangs in the balance. For the Birds, the NFC East crown and the conference’s top seed are both still very much up for grabs. As it stands now, Philadelphia is favored by four points, while the over/under is set at 45.5.
The Eagles
With Jalen Hurts’ status up in the air until closer to game time, it’s hard to know what we’ll see from the Eagles tonight. The star QB has come down with an illness that was bad enough to force him to fly to Seattle separately, so even if he plays, he won’t be at 100%. Regardless of who is at quarterback, though, the Eagles need to do a better job of running the football. They haven’t been able to stay on the ground due to game script in the last two weeks, but they’re undoubtedly at their best when the rushing attack is firing.
On the other side of the ball, they’ll be without Darius Slay. Philadelphia’s secondary has not been good recently, and with Slay out as well, Seattle should be looking to expose this with their very talented group of receivers. Because of this, the Eagles need to shut down Seattle’s ground game. If Kenneth Walker gets rolling and Pete Carroll’s offence can get the play action working, Philadelphia will be in a tough spot defensively. Thankfully, their defensive line is no joke, and they should win most of the battles in the trenches tonight.
The Seahawks
For Seattle, the quarterback position is up in the air as well, but it seems like there’s a good chance we’ll see Drew Lock again. Lock looked decent against a very talented 49ers unit last week, but he doesn’t take care of the ball as well as Geno Smith does. However, as we stated before, Philadelphia’s secondary is vulnerable right now, and Lock has the talent around him to make things work. If it was me, I’d be giving D.K. Metcalf a ton of opportunities in this game. He basically disappeared from the gameplan after scoring a touchdown last week against San Francisco, and that can’t happen again.
Defensively, both Devon Witherspoon and Jamal Adams are questionable after not practicing all week. The rookie Witherspoon would be a very important piece for Seattle to have tonight, as fellow corner Riq Woolen doesn’t match up nearly as well against the physicality of A.J. Brown. If the Seahawks want to succeed defensively, though, the corners are the least of their concerns. Safety and linebacker play in coverage hasn’t been good for Seattle on their current losing streak, and with Brown, Devonta Smith and Dallas Goedert on the other side, they’ll certainly be tested tonight.
Eagles and Seahawks: The Pick
For both teams, tonight almost feels like a must-win. They’re in different positions in the standings, but for what the Eagles and Seahawks are trying to do this season, a loss could prove extremely costly. At their best, the Eagles are definitely the better team. However, they haven’t been at their best recently and winning in Seattle is never easy. With Jalen Hurts at less than 100% if he plays, I think the Seahawks could surprise some people tonight and keep their playoff hopes alive. I’ll take the Hawks at +4.
Love the NFL? Create your own pool at any time this season at http://officepools.com!
