Eagles 2020 Opponent Preview: Seattle Seahawks

Bleeding Green Nation’s 2020 Philadelphia Eagles opponent preview series continues today with their Week 12 enemy: the Seattle Seahawks. (Previously: Week 11 preview.)

The Eagles’ wild card loss to the Seahawks in January was just the latest entry in Seattle having Philadelphia’s number. The Eagles are 1-8 in nine games against their bird brethren dating back to that awful 42-0 loss at Lincoln Financial Field in December 2005. The one win came 12 years ago when Seneca Wallace was starting for Seattle.

The Seahawks’ current starting quarterback is slightly better than Wallace. In five starts against the Eagles, Russell Wilson has a perfect 5-0 record while completing 59% of his attempts for 1,287 yards (8.4 yards per attempt), eight touchdowns, one interception, and an 100.8 passer rating. He’s also logged 158 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in addition to notching a 15-yard reception for one receiving touchdown. Wilson clearly does not struggle to reach the end zone against Philly.

Wilson’s numbers might honestly be even better if Seattle’s offensive philosophy wasn’t so antiquated. The Seahawks are stubbornly committed to running the ball, which has sparked the “Let Russ Cook” movement among Seattle fans. I thought John P. Gilbert put it succinctly: “The Seahawks have one of the greatest QBs in the known universe. And yet, were 29th in the NFL in first half pass attempts per game.”

The Eagles (and NFL at large) can only hope the Seahawks don’t free up Wilson to pass more. Even if they don’t make changes, though, the Eagles will still have their hands full trying to defend a player that often feels so unguardable. Having Darius Slay to prevent D.K. Metcalf from going off could help. The interior defensive trio of Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, and Malik Jackson will be critical to disrupting Wilson and preventing him from stepping up in the pocket. As has always been the case, limiting Wilson will prove to be easier said than done.

Pete Carroll’s defense also deserves credit for Seattle’s success against the Eagles. Look at Doug Pederson’s scoring outputs against the Seahawks since 2016: 15, 10, 9, and 9. Scoring 10.75 points per game obviously isn’t gonna cut it. Not to mention 14 of those 43 total points came in obvious garbage time.

Pederson is hardly the only member of the Eagles to blame. Carson Wentz hasn’t had his best games against the Seahawks and that needs to change. He might’ve played well in this year’s playoff matchup but Jadeveon Clowney’s cheap-shot to the back of his head prevented us from seeing that happen. The Seahawks could potentially re-sign Clowney but he’s currently a free agent.

Seattle’s defense might not be what it used to be in the Legion of Boom days but the Jamal Adams acquisition could help them recapture some of that magic. The first-team All-Pro safety is a playmaker that the Eagles will have to account for.

Overall, the Seahawks appear pretty tough on paper. They’re never out of a game with Wilson. It’s hard for me to pick the Eagles to beat them until I actually see it happen once.