It wasn’t the flashiest of wins, but the Seahawks took care of business Monday night in Philadelphia.
Behind another dominant night from DK Metcalf and a shutdown performance from its surging defense and suddenly imposing pass rush, Seattle stomped the hapless Eagles for a 23-17 victory that wasn’t quite as close as the final score indicated.
Here are some of the key storylines and takeaways from the Seahawks’ latest primetime triumph, which moved them into sole possession of first place in the NFC West and kept them within striking distance in the race for the conference’s top seed:
DK DOMINATES HIS WAY TO CAREER NIGHT
Once again, DK Metcalf gave the Eagles a painful reminder of what they could’ve had.
Metcalf was still on the board when Philadelphia made its second-round pick in last year’s NFL draft. But the Eagles took another receiver instead, drafting Stanford’s J.J. Arcega-Whiteside with their 57th overall pick. Seven picks later, the Seahawks took Metcalf.
Arcega-Whiteside has been mostly a non-factor during his two seasons in Philadelphia. And Metcalf? Well, all he’s done is take the league by storm while ascending into one of the game’s premier receivers.
Metcalf took over Monday night’s game, catching 10 passes for a career-high 177 yards. It was the second time in less than a year that he’d tormented the Eagles in Philadelphia. In last season’s wild-card playoff round, he broke the NFL rookie record for receiving yards in a playoff game with nine catches for 160 yards and a touchdown.
With Monday night’s performance, Metcalf moved atop the NFL leaderboard with a league-high 1,039 receiving yards this season. He also ranks second in receiving yards per game (94.5), third in yards per catch (17.9), fourth in yards per target (11.5) and fifth in touchdown catches (nine). He now has five 100-yard receiving games this season, and eight games with more than 90 yards receiving.
Metcalf mentioned in his postgame interview that the Eagles’ decision to pass on him in last year’s draft provided extra motivation Monday night. He also said he gained some more fuel from a pregame conversation with Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who was Detroit’s head coach when future Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson played for the Lions. According to Metcalf, Schwartz told him that he’s not at Johnson’s level yet. However, Schwartz said afterward that he was complimenting Metcalf.
Whatever the case, Metcalf sure played like a man with something to prove Monday night.
Metcalf did nearly all of his damage against Darius Slay, posting eight catches on 11 targets for 158 yards against the former All-Pro cornerback, according to Pro Football Focus. Slay has had a relatively average season, but he entered the night allowing 38.7 receiving yards per game, with a season high of 74 yards.
Metcalf shattered that mark all by himself — and did so while showcasing a variety of routes.
Early on, Metcalf beat Slay on several slant routes for easy completions. In the second quarter, Metcalf sped past Slay on a third-and-long vertical route and hauled in a 52-yard reception at the 1-yard line that set up Seattle’s first touchdown. On the next drive, Metcalf turned a shallow crossing route into a 17-yard gain.
In the third quarter, with Slay seemingly trying to guard against the slant, Metcalf appeared to catch him off-balance with an out route toward the sideline that resulted in another easy pitch-and-catch. A few plays later, Metcalf used his physicality to separate from Slay at the top of an intermediate crossing route and hauled in a 19-yard reception.
And on a corner route to the sideline in the fourth quarter, Metcalf came down with his best catch of the night. Slay provided tight coverage on the play, but it was a perfect throw by Russell Wilson and an even better catch by Metcalf. The Seattle star receiver made a contested 31-yard grab in a tight window while hand-fighting Slay, and showed great strength to hang on to the ball while falling to the ground as Slay tried to swipe it away.
Metcalf is now on pace for 1,511 receiving yards and 13 touchdown catches this season. If he continues at that rate, Metcalf would become just the 11th different player in NFL history to finish with at least 1,500 receiving yards and 13 touchdown catches in a season.
DEFENSE, PASS RUSH CONTINUE THEIR SURGE
The Seahawks’ defense took another step in the right direction with Monday night’s shutdown performance.
Seattle set the tone from the get-go, forcing the Eagles into three-and-outs on each of their first five possessions. Nearly 20 minutes into the game, Philadelphia had mustered just 4 total yards. The Eagles didn’t even reach the 200-yard mark until the game’s final minute. And if not for the deflected Hail Mary touchdown in the closing seconds, the Seahawks would’ve held Philadelphia to just nine points.
The caveat, of course, is that the Eagles are one of the worst offenses in the league. They rank 25th in points per game, 28th in yards per game and 30th in Football Outsiders’ offensive DVOA ratings. Quarterback Carson Wentz has struggled mightily, and he’s received little help from a porous offensive line and an underwhelming receiving corps.
But even for as bad as the Eagles have been offensively, the Seahawks still managed to hold them well below many of their season averages — especially when discarding the last-second Hail Mary.
The Eagles entered the night averaging 330.1 total yards per game. Seattle held them to 250 yards, and just 217 yards prior to the Hail Mary.
The Eagles entered the night averaging 5.0 yards per play. Seattle held them to 3.8 yards per play, and just 3.3 before the Hail Mary.
Wentz entered the night averaging 6.2 yards per pass attempt. Seattle held him to just 4.8 yards per attempt, and just 4.1 prior to the Hail Mary.
Even when accounting for the quality of opponent, this was a dominant showing by the Seahawks’ defense. And it came on the heels of another strong performance the week prior, when Seattle held Kyler Murray and the Cardinals more than 100 yards below their season average. Arizona entered that matchup having scored at least 30 points in each of its previous five games, while averaging more than 470 total yards during that stretch. But the Seahawks limited the Cardinals to just 21 points and 314 yards. Each of the last two weeks, Seattle’s defense has held an opposing offense to a point total that’s tied for the opposing team’s season low.
It’s a small sample size. But after all of its struggles this season, the Seahawks’ defense seems to have turned a corner over the last two games.
A major factor in Seattle’s defensive turnaround has been its surging pass rush, which harassed Wentz for six sacks Monday night and also forced at least a couple of throwaways. The flurry of sacks was widely distributed, with seven different Seahawks recording at least a half-sack.
Philadelphia’s struggling offensive line entered the night having allowed a league-worst 4.0 sacks per game. But Seattle surpassed that mark by a full two sacks, and the six sacks were tied for the second-most the Eagles have allowed this season.
The Seahawks’ pass rush was virtually nonexistent earlier in the season, mustering just nine sacks in their first six games. During that span, Seattle had only one game with at least three sacks.
But it’s been a night-and-day difference lately, with the Seahawks exploding for 22 sacks over their last five games. During that span, they’ve posted three-plus sacks in all five contests.
Seattle’s 22 sacks over the last five weeks are five more sacks than any other team in the league during that span. The recent surge has given the Seahawks 31 sacks for the season, which is tied for seventh in the league. With five games remaining, Seattle already has three more sacks than it totaled last season.
The acquisition of two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Carlos Dunlap has made a massive impact. Since being acquired from Cincinnati and debuting for the Seahawks in Week 9, Dunlap has posted 4.0 sacks over the last four games. He already has the second-most sacks on the team this season, and the most among Seattle’s defensive linemen. His presence has given the Seahawks the bona fide edge rusher they’d been lacking.
Seattle’s pass rush also has benefited from a return to health. Star safety Jamal Adams returned in Week 9 from a four-game absence. Defensive tackle Rasheem Green returned in Week 9 from a six-game absence. And defensive end Benson Mayowa returned in Week 11 from a three-game absence. Since their returns, Adams has blitzed his way to 4.5 sacks, while Green and Mayowa have added one sack apiece.
Furthermore, the defensive line has shown an increased ability over the last two weeks to generate pressure on its own, without the aid of extra pass rushers from heavy blitzing.
The Seahawks blitzed heavily from Week 8 through Week 10, sending an extra rusher on 52.6% of their opponents’ dropbacks, according to data from Pro Football Reference. During that span, six of their 13 sacks came on non-blitzing plays, which are defined as sending four or fewer pass rushers.
Since then, the Seahawks have toned down the pressure. Over the last two weeks, they’ve blitzed on 38.2% of their opponents’ dropbacks. But they’ve still managed to be very effective, posting nine sacks over that span. Six of those nine sacks came on non-blitzing plays.
At times this season, Seattle seemed overreliant on blitzing to manufacture pressure and make up for its pass-rush deficiencies up front. Too often, that left the back end of the defense too exposed. But with the defensive line generating pressure on its own more consistently, the Seahawks can blitz less and devote more players to pass coverage. It also allows them to be more selective about when they blitz, which preserves the element of surprise and helps players such as Adams be more effective when they do rush the passer.
In addition to its revamped pass rush, Seattle’s defensive improvement has also coincided with more sound play in the secondary.
Due to a slew of injuries, the secondary has been a revolving door for much of the season. But with Adams back from injury — as well as starting cornerback Shaquill Griffin, who made his return Monday night — the Seahawks’ defensive backfield has finally experienced a bit of continuity in recent weeks. And it’s shown during the last two games.
The frequent miscommunications and coverage breakdowns that plagued the secondary for so much of the season have been mostly nonexistent against Arizona and Philadelphia. Aside from the final minute or so of Monday night’s game, Seattle has surrendered just eight completions of 15-plus yards over the last two weeks, and none of more than 27 yards.
The biggest concern for the Seahawks right now is the health of Dunlap, who exited Monday night’s game with a foot injury. At the moment, it’s unclear whether he will play in Sunday’s game against the Giants.
But as long as Dunlap’s injury isn’t a long-term issue, the forecast for Seattle’s defense remains promising. The pass rush has rounded into form. The linebacking duo of Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright continues to be stellar. The secondary seems to have found its footing.
After an awful first half of the season, the Seahawks have taken meaningful strides defensively over the last two games. The key now is to continue stringing together these types of performances week after week.
CARSON PLAYS WELL IN RETURN FROM INJURY
Starting running back Chris Carson returned Monday night after missing the last four games with a foot injury. The Seahawks eased him back in, giving him just 10 total touches. But he made the most of his limited action.
Carson ran for 41 yards and a touchdown on eight carries, averaging 5.1 yards per attempt. He also caught two passes for 18 yards. His biggest play was a 16-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, when he took a second-and-goal handoff and weaved his way inside the 5-yard line before bulldozing into the end zone.
By contrast, backup running back Carlos Hyde rushed for just 22 yards on 15 carries. Carson simply has an explosive burst and tackle-breaking ability that neither Hyde nor any of Seattle’s other running backs possess. Carson has averaged 4.9 yards per carry this season, which is over a yard more than any other running back on the team who has at least 10 carries. Carson’s return certainly should bolster Seattle’s running game down the stretch.
FOURTH-DOWN MISCUES
The Seahawks dominated the first quarter, but had little to show for it after a pair of failed fourth-down attempts on their first two possessions.
On the first one, Pete Carroll elected to keep his offense on the field for a fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line. Seattle ran a fly sweep for receiver David Moore, but he was swarmed in the backfield for a 5-yard loss after missed blocks from receiver DK Metcalf and center Ethan Pocic.
After forcing a punt and getting the ball back in good field position, the Seahawks soon found themselves in another fourth-and-2 situation, this time from the Philadelphia 37-yard line. Once again, Seattle kept its offense on the field. And once again, Seattle failed to convert. Russell Wilson appeared to be looking for receiver Tyler Lockett on a rub route, but Lockett wasn’t open and Wilson ended up getting sacked.
The Seahawks have been more willing to go for it on fourth downs this season than in years past, and they’ve been relatively successful when doing so. Prior to Monday night, Seattle was 3 of 5 on fourth downs in non-fourth-quarter-comeback situations, and 7 of 9 on fourth downs overall.
It will be interesting to see whether Monday night’s failed fourth-down attempts make Carroll less willing to keep his offense on the field in similar situations going forward, or whether he remains aggressive.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Seahawks moved into sole possession of first place atop the NFC West with their win Monday night, along with the Rams’ loss to the 49ers on Sunday. Seattle (8-3) now sits one game ahead of the Rams (7-4) and two games ahead of the Cardinals (6-5) in the division race.
According to FiveThirtyEight, the Seahawks have a 68% chance of winning the NFC West. The Rams’ division-title odds have plummeted to 27% and the Cardinals’ odds are just 5%.
The victory also kept Seattle in the thick of the race for the NFC’s top seed and lone first-round bye. The Seahawks remain tied with Green Bay (8-3) for the conference’s second-best record. Both teams are one game behind New Orleans (9-2).
Seattle currently has a 22% chance of earning the NFC’s top seed, per FiveThirtyEight. The Saints are the favorite at 45%, followed by the Packers at 30%.
The Seahawks probably have to win out in order to claim the top seed. If Seattle wins each of its remaining five games, it would have a 74% chance of capturing the top seed, according to FiveThirtyEight. If the Seahawks win four of their final five games, their odds would range between 43% and 16%, depending on which game they lose.
CVT Sports 