Philly Sports Network Roundtable: Will the Eagles claim the NFC East Crown in Seattle?

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The Eagles are just a few hours away from a showdown with the Seattle Seahawks. For the first time in what seems like forever, Seattle is actually an underdog at home while the Birds are favored by a field goal. Will the Eagles secure the NFC East under the Sunday Night lights? Let’s ask out writers.

 

Liam “Cup of Tea” Jenkins: 9-1
The Eagles face their toughest task of the season. A hostile Seattle crowd embracing its 129th consecutive sellout, with a franchise quarterback who has carried a team that bears weaknesses the Eagles are primed to expose. The Legion of Boom may be a little quieter, the team have three double-digit losses in their last 111 games. Beating a Seahawks team whose leading rusher is Russell Wilson won’t be easy.

The Eagles are making history this season, surging into record books at every turn. They’re just the third team since 1950 to amass 1,600 rushing yards and score 28+ passing touchdowns through 11 games. But with the hard-count no longer an option, the Eagles will have to prepare for a dogfight…and that’s the x-factor.

The Eagles may indeed pull out an early lead, but Seattle is outscoring opponents in the fourth quarter by a ridiculous 104-46 this season and Wilson has 23 Q4 comebacks to his name. The Eagles haven’t been in a nail biter where the sole outcome of the game rests on one drive in a while…and I have a feeling Seattle may just sneak a victory here after the Eagles had a sloppy outing in Chicago that went unpunished.

Eagles 21 Seahawks 24

 

Chris “Has the best sounding name of any of our writers” Coviello 8-1
Week 13 brings Philly it’s toughest matchup in a while as the Eagles travel to Seattle to face the Seahawks on Sunday Night Football. Even if this Seattle team is not as good as past years Seahawks teams, this should be a great test for the Eagles. Traveling across the country and dealing with possibly the leagues loudest home field are going to be issues. I would expect the Eagles to continue to run the ball with their new 3 headed running attack to not put all the pressure on Carson. Seattle still boasts a top 10 defense but right now they’re vulnerable. On defense, the Eagles just need to contain Russell Wilson which is easier said than done. Try to make him throw from the pocket and don’t let him play schoolyard ball. The Seahawks can’t really run the ball and their line is terrible.

The hype video that the Eagles website put out should reign true today. If you haven’t seen it, the tagline is “They may have 12, but we have 11”. It’s going to be tighter than recent weeks but Carson will find a way.
Eagles 31 Seahawks 27

 

Brenden “my picks are” Pedigree 5-1
The Eagles (10-1) and the Seahawks (7-4) will feature a clash of two of the NFC’s top teams in 2017. Philadelphia is the newcomer while Seattle has been atop the NFC since drafting Russell Wilson in 2012.

Seattle will be the first of back-to-back West Coast stops for the Eagles, who will be spending the week on the opposite side of the country to prepare for the Los Angeles Rams a week from now. The Seahawks will be without at least half of the Legion of Boom with Kam Chancellor expected to miss the rest of the season, Richard Sherman landing on IR and Earl Thomas listed as questionable. With a new contract in hand, Alshon Jeffery will be looking to take advantage of former Eagle Byron Maxwell who will likely be lining up across from him. Expect Zach Ertz to have a big game as well without Chancellor or a fully healthy Earl Thomas to assist Bobby Wagner, also nursing a hamstring injury, in coverage.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Eagles defensive line should be licking their chops as they face an offensive line that has left Russell Wilson to run for his life all season, allowing 26 sacks on the season. If the Eagles, an elite pass rushing unit, can get to Wilson as other teams have, they can nullify the potential home-run ability of Seahawks receivers Doug Baldwin and Paul Richardson

This will be a classic, hard-fought NFC battle featuring elite defenses and franchise quarterbacks with playoff seeding on the line. The Eagles have the edge though, as the top scoring offense and the third-ranked scoring defense. If this were a playoff game, I may give the Seahawks the advantage with experience on their side. The Eagles edge this one out and after not having a single 100-yard receiver until last week, Zach Ertz has his second 100-yard outing in a row while LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi run out the clock on the final drive.

Eagles 28 Seahawks 24

Ant “The new guy” Brinkley 7-0
Eagles are on the road, across the country, in their first real test since Carolina. The Seahawks secondary is banged up and this Eagles offense is hard to stop at full strength. On the other side of the ball, the Eagles front 4 should dominate this game and force Wilson to use his legs and make quick decisions. Eagles win but we will see Wentz for all 4 quarters.

Eagles 24 Seahawks 17

 

Tyler “The need for” Steege 8-1
Playing in Seattle is never easy, but this Seahawks team just isn’t the same. Russell Wilson will have some chances to strike downfield, but ultimately think the Eagles defense will be too much to handle.

Eagles 30  Seattle 20

 

 

Austin “The new-new guy” Connelly:
With the legion of boom out for the game, the Eagles need to have a statement win against Seattle. The biggest challenge for the Eagles is obviously Wilson and the passing attack. The trio of Baldwin, Richardson, and Graham have been giving defences fits all year and the birds will have to contain them to get the win. The Eagles D-line heavily outmatches the Seahawks O-line and will need to take advantage of that to make Wilson uncomfortable. The game won’t be easy in Seattle but Philadelphia has to win this game to prove once and for all that they are the real deal.

Eagles 30 Seahawks 24

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports