Inside the Eagles: Week 9

This was a huge win for the Eagles as they beat the Seahawks in Seattle 26-7. With a Dallas loss to the Giants, the Eagles (now 5-3) moved into 3rd place in the division. Washington will play Pittsburgh tonight. If they lose, Philly will be a half a game behind them for 2nd.

Offense:
They looked pitiful in the first quarter. They called a plethora of pass plays and McNabb started the game 3-13, with a pick. However, Donovan McNabb was sharp from the second quarter on. He finished with 349 yards and 2 TD's. He also threw an interception in the first but that was soon forgotten with the day he had. Brian Westbrook didn't have a phenomenal day but he played well enough to keep Seattle's defense off balance. He had 61 yards on 20 carries but also had 6 catches for 35 yards.

Brent Celek stepped up huge to fill in for the injured LJ Smith, who had a concussion. Celek had 6 catches for 131 yards as he got the ball in the open and just rumbled his way down field. Kevin Curtis also had 6 catches fir 83 yards and Reggie Brown's only catch came on a 22 yard TD pass from McNabb in the 2nd.

Grade: B

Defense:
The unit here played amazing despite one terrible play in the first. Seneca Wallace hooked up with Koren Robinson for a 90 yard TD that made Brian Dawkins and Lito Sheppard look ridiculous. After that, the defense really tightened up to keep Seattle out of the end zone for the remainder of the game.

Omar Gaither led the team with 6 tackles and added a sack. Darren Howard picked up 2 sacks as well and Chris Clemons added 1 on the final play of the game.

The unit held Seattle to 233 yards total. The Seahawks running backs Maurice Morris and Julius Jones combined for 84 yards on 18 carries. Most of those came on a 28 yard run by Morris in the 4th. Wallace was dropped 4 times and pressured even more, forcing bad throws.

Grade: B+

Special Teams: DeSean Jackson had 5 punt returns, averaging a solid 10 yards. Quinton Demps had only 2 kick returns, breaking off a 44 yarder in the first. Most notably was David Akers who nailed 4/4 field goals. Sav Rocca was great again too as he averaged 41.1 yards a kick and dropped 2 punts inside the 20.

Grade: A-

Eagles best number: 131 (receiving yards by Celek)
Eagles worst number: 6-16 on third downs.
Eagles best play: McNabb hit guard Todd Herremans for a 1 yard touchdown and it put them ahead for good.
Eagles worst play: the 90 yard touchdown pass by Wallace to Robinson
Turning point: After giving up the touch down, McNabb was able to drive down the field to connect with Brown for the 22 yard score. Other than that, Seattle basically sucked all game.

3 stars:
Offense: McNabb
Defense: Gaither
Special Teams: Akers

The Eagles will play a HUGE game next Sunday as they host the 7-1 division rival Giants.

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Eagles-Seahawks Preview

For the second straight week, it'll be the battle of the birds. The Eagles (4-3) travel out west to face off against the Seattle Seahawks (2-5). It is a meeting of teacher and student. Mike Holmgren, in his final season, will face off against Andy Reid.


The Eagles are winners of two straight and will look to keep pace in the tough NFC East. Seattle is coming off a blow-out win in Seattle, but their season hasn't gone the way they Holmgren and company have become used to. Seattle has dealt with many injuries and they will continue to be without starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and wide receivers Nate Burelson and Deion Branch. They're also ailing defensively as Patrick Kerney is out and Lofa Tatupu is a game-time decision.

Outside of LJ Smith, Donovan McNabb will have a full cabinet of weapons to chose from. This week will be the first week in which Kevin Curtis, Reggie Brown, and DeSean Jackson will all be on the field together. Curtis and Jackson will get the start. Combined with Westbrook and Buckhalter, McNabb and crew should be able to dominate.

Eagles Offense vs Seahawks Defense
The Eagles offense averages 361.1 yards per game and Seahawks D allows 367. So, it is safe to say that the Eagles should have no problem moving the ball, especially with a full arsenal of weapons. The Eagles average 27.7 points per game and Seahawks allow 26.3. The Eagles should be able to punch it into the end zone often as well.

Let's face it, the Seahawks defense is just bad right now. With one of the worst pass defenses in football, McNabb and the Eagles pass-happy offense should be able to have a field day. The only thing that could hinder the Eagles offense is Seattle is the cross-country trip it took to get there, the expected rain and wind, or their "12th man." Too bad a lot of Eagles went out and bought up tickets.

Brian Westbrook should be able to run all over Seattle as well. They're allowing 121.7 per game. If the Eagles establish the run on the road, they'll be able to control possession and use play-action well to keep the defense uncomfortable.

Advantage: Eagles

Seahawks Offense vs Eagles Defense
Well, I don't want to completely bash the Seahawks offense. They're trying to work with what they have left. All teams have been there. However, facts are fact and what the Seahawks have left is good enough for the worst offensive team in the NFC. They are averaging only 258.7 ypg, but that is largely due to their inability to pass. They actually run the ball well and the Eagles defense can become susceptible to that at times.

While the Seahawks have looked that great on offense, they've still managed to score 20 points per game. Sure, last week's game against San Francisco inflates that number, but they've still found a way to score some points.

The Eagles defense will have a clear advantage in defending the pass, so we'll see how their aggressive scheme stacks up against the run. The only way I can Seattle staying in this game is if the Eagles turn the ball over or give Seattle good field position. I wouldn't expect that though because the Eagles are a +7 in the turnover margin, forcing 15.

Advantage: Eagles

Final Thoughts:
Outside of this being away game, there is not one advantage that I can see for the Seahawks. They're just a bad team and if the Eagles want to continue to be in the playoff race, they need to handle their business like a good team would. Sometimes the Eagles play down to their competition and it costs them. A win will be huge because it'll push us to 4-3 in the conference and that is huge for the playoffs.

I'd expect the Eagles offense to explode and win 38-14. They've been bottled up for awhile and they need to explode.

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Eagles - Seahawks On New Playing Surface

Just in time for the rain and whatever miserable weather is expected, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Seattle Seahawks will be playing on a brand new playing surface.

Two weeks after re-sodding the playing surface, Lincoln Financial Field is a thing of beauty. The lines are down. The grass is thick and plush and, says Eagles Director of Grounds Tony Leonard, absolutely ready for action Sunday when the Eagles host the Seattle Seahawks.

"It looks great," said Leonard. "We put the sod down two weeks ago and we feel comfortable that it has had time to settle in. We're able to work on it, get it painted and mow it a couple of times before the game.

It's about time. That field his looked like shit for awhile now, largely due to two teams playing on it for much of the year.

Philadelphia Eagles

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