Game Preview – PHI at SEA

How do you write a preview for this game? Geno Smith might start at QB for Seattle. Jalen Hurts might start for the Eagles. Both teams will be missing starters. And the Eagles will have a new defensive play-caller. So much uncertainty…

Seattle desperately needs this game to stay in the playoff hunt.

The Eagles desperately need this game to avoid going into red alert, full-on crisis mode. I guess some might argue the Eagles are already there, but I think the game is key. Winning is a great deodorant. If they can come out with a W, the organization can point to all the changes as working and making some sense. There won’t be leaks to the media complaining about things and so on.

A loss means this team is on the verge of falling apart.

I like to think the Eagles have the talent and the character to win and settle things down. But this is Seattle. That team has driven the Eagles nuts over the years. They never lost to Philly in the Russell Wilson era. You have to go back to 2008 to find the Eagles beating them. Beyond that, lots of crazy things happen in Seattle games. The Seahawks are on a 4-game losing streak. They scored 16, 13 and 16 points in three of the games. In the other game they put up 35 points on Dallas.

Whoever starts at QB for them will have weapons. DJ Metcalf has the best combination of size and speed in the NFL. He is dynamic in the open field. Tyler Lockett is more of a chain-mover, but is still a good receiver. Rookie Jaxson Smith-Njigba is outstanding in the slot. How are the Eagles going to handle them? Darius Slay is out. The Eagles may double Metcalf and take their chances with Lockett. JSN is a tough matchup for any of the Eagles DBs. Bradley Roby is the best bet for covering him. JSN is a great route-runner and would give Eli Ricks fits.

Rookie Kelee Ringo is slated to start at CB for the #Eagles in place of the injured Darius Slay (knee) for Monday night’s game at the Seahawks, per NFL sources.

Eagles are down 2 other starters:

Veteran reserve Sua Opeta will start for the injured Cam Jurgens (pec) at RG.

And…

— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) December 17, 2023

It sounds like Kelee Ringo will start in place of Slay. Ringo has size and athleticism, but he is raw. Very raw. He’s going to have some ups and downs. The best thing the Eagles can do is pressure the QB and limit how long Ringo has to cover. Seattle passers have been sacked 32 times. The Eagles will have a chance to win up front.

Coaching update for Monday night's game versus the Seattle Seahawks: Senior Defensive Assistant Matt Patricia will serve as the defensive playcaller and will be located on the field.

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 17, 2023

It will be interesting to see what Matt Patricia does with the defense. Will there be a noticeable difference? Can he push the right buttons for this group to get back on track? The Eagles have allowed 33 or more points for the last three weeks. They don’t need a shutout. The defense just needs to hold Seattle in the 17 to 24 point range. We’re not asking for the ’85 Bears.

It will also be interesting to see how Seattle attacks. Zach Cunningham will miss the game so you might have Shaq Leonard and Nick Morrow as the starting LBs. If so, you run at those guys until they prove they can stop it. Maybe the Eagles play more of a 5-1-5 look, since they have better DL than LBs.

The Eagles offense is coming off a pair of subpar performances. Seattle is one of the worst defenses in the league so this is a chance for the offense to get going. In the last six games, only one team has scored fewer than 26 points against Seattle. Big opportunity.

Of course nothing is easy for the Eagles right now. Jalen Hurts is under the weather. He’s expected to start, but we won’t know for sure until Monday night. RG Cam Jurgens is out so Sua Opeta starts in his place. With Hurts ailing and a backup on the line, this might be a good time for the Eagles to focus on the run. Seattle has allowed 159 rushing yards per game over the past three weeks. I know Nick Sirianni wants to throw. He wants to get his WRs the ball and to attack. But this might be a week to ground and pound.

Seattle isn’t good at pass defense so the Eagles can burn them through the air if they choose that mode of attack. Seattle does have 39 sacks so they can pressure the passer. Boye Mafe is the key edge rusher. Jarran Reed and Dre’Mont Jones are good inside rushers. All three players have 10 or more QB hits. They have combined for 16.5 sacks.

The back seven has some talented pieces, but they just aren’t getting the job done right now. CB Riq Woolen had a great rookie year. He’s not making nearly as many plays this season (2 INTs). Jamal Adams is a big name, but hasn’t played well this year. He can be burned in coverage. The Eagles are probably hoping he’s healthy and plays. Adams is a guy they would attack. It is crazy to think that 33-year old Bobby Wagner is the best LB in the game for either team.

This game has so many crazy angles that it is hard to make a logical prediction. Nothing will surprise me. The Eagles could play their best game of the year and just dominate. They could play sloppy and lose an ugly game. Seattle is always a weird team so nothing they do surprises me.

Because of the circumstances, the Eagles just need to find a way to win this game. A lucky win? Ok. An ugly win? That’s fine. Just go win. We’ll worry about style points next week. Or maybe next year.

This is going to be the most adversity for a game in the Sirianni era.

How will the Eagles respond?

*****

It was great to see the Bills absolutely dominate Dallas. The final score was 31-10, but the game wasn’t that close. Buffalo ran the ball up and down the field. Josh Allen only had to throw 15 passes. That was a serious beatdown.

I thought the Eagles would try a similar gameplan last week. Run at Dallas and try to beat them up. The Eagles mixed in the run, but still threw the ball a lot. To be fair, Dallas is much better at home. The Eagles might have felt they had to be aggressive in order to score points.

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