Seattle Seahawks vs Philadelphia Eagles Pick & Prediction, Mon Nov 30 08:15 PM
Jimmy Liu
The Monday night NFL game will feature a pair of teams that entered the weekend in second place in their divisions.
That fact is far more impressive for the visiting Seattle Seahawks than it is for the host Philadelphia Eagles.
The Seahawks (7-3) own the same record as the Rams in the NFC West, but Los Angeles is on top of the league's best division in terms of winning percentage thanks to a head-to-head win.
The Eagles (3-6-1) are a half-game behind the first-place Washington Football Team in the NFC East, the league's worst division.
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"There have been a lot of things that have surrounded this football team this year with the pandemic and COVID and injuries and different things," Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. "We still have a lot to play for. We still have an opportunity in our division ...
"Listen, I guess it's a hard task, right? It's an uphill battle. But we just have to do our part. I've got to coach better, we have to practice better, and ultimately, we have to play better in order to really get this thing back on track."
That starts with fifth-year quarterback Carson Wentz, who is having the worst season of his career. Wentz has an NFL-leading 18 turnovers (14 interceptions, four fumbles) and has been sacked a league-leading 40 times. His passer rating of 73.3 is third-worst among starting QBs, ahead of only Denver's Drew Lock (67.5) and the New York Jets' Sam Darnold (65.9).
There have even been calls for the Eagles to bench Wentz in favor of second-round draft pick Jalen Hurts. That talk intensified after Wentz had an interception returned for a touchdown in a 22-17 loss at Cleveland last week.
"In this city, it's all about the QB and the head coach, and everybody else can almost go by the wayside, I guess," Pederson said. "So it's almost like a two-man band, but there is enough work to be done by all positions."
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Wentz could get some help Monday, as tight end Zach Ertz is expected to return after missing four games due to an ankle injury. Make sure you check out the NFL player game props on Ertz, as he's in line for a big return to action.
This will be the Seahawks' third trip to Philadelphia in the past 53 weeks. They posted a pair of 17-9 victories there last season, one of those occurring in the opening round of the playoffs.
Seattle snapped a two-game losing streak with a 28-21 victory against visiting Arizona on Nov. 19.
Carlos Hyde returned after missing three games with a hamstring injury to rush for a season-high 79 yards and a touchdown. The Seahawks expect starting running back Chris Carson back Monday after he was sidelined for the past month with a mid-foot sprain.
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"I think balance is always great, but I think that we've got to do whatever it takes to win," Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson said. "To have our running backs healthy, we want to have everybody out there. We want to have all our best players out there and get the ball facilitated whether it's running it, throwing it, all that stuff we want to be able to do."
Seahawks cornerback Shaquill Griffin (hamstring) and center Ethan Pocic (concussion) have also returned to practice this week after missing multiple games with injuries.
We recommend betting on the Seahawks to cover the point spread on MNF tonight.
--Field Level Media
Seattle Seahawks vs. Philadelphia Eagles Recap NOV 30TH 2020
Russell Wilson completed 18 of 30 passes for 325 yards and a touchdown, and Marshawn Lynch scored on a 5-yard run as the Seattle Seahawks advanced in the NFC playoffs with a 17-9 victory against the host Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in a wild-card game.
Rookie DK Metcalf made seven receptions for 160 yards -- including a 36-yard catch for the game-sealing first down -- and a touchdown for Seattle (12-5), which improved to 8-1 on the road this season. The Seahawks will travel to Green Bay to meet the Packers next Sunday in the NFC's divisional round.
The injury-riddled Eagles (9-8) suffered another blow when quarterback Carson Wentz, who was making his playoff debut, left the game in the first quarter with a head injury and didn't return.
Wentz, who missed the team's run to the Super Bowl title two years ago and to the divisional round last season because of injuries, was knocked out after being hit in the back of the helmet by Seattle's Jadeveon Clowney while falling to the turf. Wentz was 1 of 4 for 3 yards before being hurt.
Josh McCown, 40, who attempted just five passes in the regular season, replaced Wentz and was 18 of 24 for 174 yards, taking six sacks. Teammate Miles Sanders rushed for 69 yards on 14 carries.
McCown drove the Eagles to the Seattle 10-yard line at the 2-minute warning in the fourth quarter, but he was sacked by Clowney on a fourth-and-7 play. The Seahawks also stopped the Eagles on fourth down the previous drive, when a pass went off Sanders' hands on fourth-and-4.
The Seahawks broke a 3-3 tie on Lynch's touchdown run with 1:06 left in the first half. That capped a nine-play, 82-yard drive directed by Wilson that took just 1:47.
Lynch, who came out of retirement to sign with the Seahawks before the regular-season finale after Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny and C.J. Prosise suffered season-ending injuries in a three week span, carried six times for 7 yards. Wilson led Seattle with 45 yards rushing on nine carries.
McCown drove the Eagles to first-and-goal at the 5 on their first possession of the second half, but a delay-of-game penalty and a bobbled snap proved costly. They had to settle for a 26-yard field goal from Jake Elliott to cut Seattle's lead to 10-6.
Wilson hit Metcalf with a 53-yard scoring strike on the Seahawks' next possession to make it 17-6.
Elliott kicked his third field goal, a 38-yarder, with 2:49 left in the third quarter to pull the Eagles within 17-9.
--Field Level Media
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