December 18, 2023
Joe Nicholson/USA Today Sports
The Seahawks bruised the Eagles in the ground game in the second half.
The power this Seattle franchise seems to have over the Eagles continues. With a 20-17 loss in Seattle, the Eagles fall to 10-4. After a string of come from behind wins this season, it was the Eagles this time who blew a halftime lead and collapsed against a gutsy two-minute drill. Here's what I saw from the second half of play. You can read my first half observations as well.
It's late. Let's get after it...
• Here comes a "Tush Push" twist! Facing a third and one in the third quarter, Jalen Hurts, instead of barreling through the line of scrimmage in the Eagles' typical short-yardage formation, handed it off to D'Andre Swift. The running back promptly picked up three yards for the first down:
Third down… FIRST DOWN EAGLES!
— DIE-HARD 🦅 Fans (@Eaglesfans9) December 19, 2023
Fake brotherly shove to D’Andre Swift pic.twitter.com/wbULFAl08E
After a couple of well-placed throws from Hurts to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith for first downs of their own, the traditional "Tush Push" reared its head. Hurts picked up his second touchdown of the game with a little under four minutes remaining in the quarter, retaking the lead over Seattle.
That's an ideal answer for an Eagles offense hasn't come up with many following opponents' TDs during their clunkers against San Francisco and Dallas.
• A sign of life from the Eagles pass rush: a third down sack from Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox late in the third quarter halted the Seahawks' attempt to tie up the score. Much has been (rightfully) made of the Eagles having the lowest percentage of third down sacks in the league. It's unacceptable given the group of players they have along the front. More of this going forward will be a requirement, not merely a suggestion, if the Birds want to find themselves back in the Super Bowl.
Moves like this (a sack, but originally ruled an incompletion...) from Jalen Carter are just what's needed:
Jalen Carter had him beat from the jump.
— NFL (@NFL) December 19, 2023
📺: #PHIvsSEA on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/bbJNB6yPkz pic.twitter.com/AK2HSiAHX7
• A high football IQ play from Swift...
Great run by D’Andre Swift, stayed in bounds. pic.twitter.com/re1qt5dyBS
— DIE-HARD 🦅 Fans (@Eaglesfans9) December 19, 2023
Rather than nab a few more yards and likely be forced out of bounds, Swift slides down. There was about 4:22 remaining in the game when Swift did that. Though the Eagles weren't able to add some insurance points there, they were able to put Seattle at their own eight-yard line with just 1:32 on the clock and one timeout in their possession. That Eagles' D was in a position to close things out after that, and, well...
• A would-be huge loss on second and short turned into a 15-gain after a whiff of a tackle from Sydney Brown early in the third quarter. Brown can bring the wood, but failing to wrap up let Kenneth Walker burst up field on a swing pass from Drew Lock.
A clean tackle gives Seattle a third and medium-to-long situation to open the half. The Seahawks found themselves in the end zone five plays later, tying this one up on a 23-yard run by Walker that felt reminiscent of LeSean McCoy:
Jalen Carter had him beat from the jump.
— NFL (@NFL) December 19, 2023
📺: #PHIvsSEA on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/bbJNB6yPkz pic.twitter.com/AK2HSiAHX7
Brown, amongst others Eagles defenders, looked completely lost on that one.
That was not the end of the poor tackling for neither Brown nor the Eagles at-large. The Eagles' once top-ranked run D unit feels like years ago, not merely months ago. It's hard to watch a team just being out-muscled. Those vibes just scream "Billy Davis era." Fletcher Cox just turned 33 and is in his 12th season and, at times, it looks like he's the only guy in a white jersey with a pulse when Seattle is working the ground game.
The urgency isn't there.
• After a few first down strikes in the fourth quarter with the Eagles holding a 17-13 lead, Hurts uncorked a deep ball into the Seattle end zone for Quez Watkins. Even with some (illegal) contact from Seahawks safety Julian Love, the ball was underthrown and picked off:
Julian Love intercepts the deep ball!
— NFL (@NFL) December 19, 2023
📺: #PHIvsSEA on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/bbJNB6yPkz pic.twitter.com/bANR4cvL4l
That's Hurts' 16th turnover of the year.
Big time props to the Eagles' defense for forcing a three and out on the ensuing drive, including a third down PBU from rookie Eli Ricks, to halt Seattle's momentum (they missed those vibes later...).
• The lowest of the low is the entirety of the Seahawks' game-winning drive. You watched it. The Eagles' secondary was helpless, as they continue to be during this rudderless three-game losing streak regardless of whether it's Sean Desai or Matt Patricia calling the plays. Drew Lock threw a laser of a touchdown to Jaxon Smith-Njigba with James Bradberry burnt to a crisp.
Bradberry has been a shell of the All-Pro he was in 2022 throughout 2023.
• The Eagles have not beaten the Seahawks in in 5,524 days.
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