The 2023 season is still not a lost one for the Seattle Seahawks. I know some 12s might have given up because even if Seattle makes the playoffs, they would likely lose in their first game, right? Plus, winning the rest of the year means the 2024 first-round draft pick is only going to drop and many 12s want the pick to be higher.
Logically, I understand the reasoning for Seattle not making the playoffs. But emotionally, and that is what being a fan is all about really, Seattle making the postseason, whether they lose their first game or not, would be great. Plus, any team has a puncher's chance once on the playoffs.
But a big step toward making the postseason would be Seattle defeating the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football at Lumen Field in Week 15. The Eagles are 10-3, though losers of two straight, and Seattle is 6-7, losers of four straight. Let's hope Seattle is the one to break the losing streak, though. Here are three things I think will happen on Monday.
Prediction No. 1 - Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf has a massive game
The Seahawks and Eagles have not played each other since 2020. Metcalf has faced off against Philadelphia three times in his career, including the 2019 playoffs. In Metcalf's first game against Philly in 2019, he had just 3 catches for 35 yards. But in the next two games, he exploded. During the 2019 Wild Card game, Metcalf had 7 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown. During the 2020 regular season, Metcalf had 10 catches for 177 yards , with a long of 52, but somehow did not score a touchdown.
Maybe there is just something about those Eagles uniforms that Metcalf likes. Of course, in the past three seasons, both teams have made lots of changes, and the Eagles have improved quite a bit while the Seahawks have mostly been resigned to being mediocre. But Metcalf is still capable of greatness, especially against an Eagles team that has been prone to giving up explosive plays through the air in recent weeks.
Since Week 6, Philadelphia has allowed the eighth-most explosive passing plays in the NFL with an average of 2.3 pass plays allowed of 20-plus yards a game. Not even the Seahawks have allowed that much. If Seattle is going to win, they have to get Metcalf involved early and keep feeding him the ball. A long touchdown or two could prove to be the outcome of the game.
Prediction No. 2 - The Eagles will dominate time of possession
The Seahawks defense hasn't been good in 2023 except for a short stretch of games. This mirrors what happened in 2022 as well. That would indicate the issue might be more coaching than players because one might assume that Seattle's defensive coaches adjust a few games into the season to what teams are trying to do to them but then once other teams readjust, the Seahawks cannot do the same.
Again this year, third-down defense has been a siphon to whatever else the Seahawks might be trying to do on defense. Seattle is 30th in third-downs allowed to be converted at 45.8 percent. (It should be noted that the Eagles are last at 48.1 percent.) Seattle also is not creating as many turnovers this year. Last year, Seattle forced 1.5 turnovers per game, but this year that number is just 1.3. This means that sometimes in 2022 the defense would get bailed out of allowing so many third downs by taking the ball away at some other point, but in 2023 this is not the case.
But the reason the Eagles can get away with allowing third downs on defense is that their offense is built to keep the ball for so long and sustain drives. Philadelphia is second in seventh in time of possession at 31:16 per game. Seattle is dead last at 27:11. For Seattle to win, they are going to have their best bend-but-don't-break defensive effort and keep the Eagles from scoring touchdowns.
This is going to be one of those classic Seahawks games where it looks really ugly, but as long as Seattle can get some explosive plays offensively, they should hang around. That's the hope anyway because this game could just be a slow death otherwise.
Prediction No. 3 - The Seahawks win!
So, getting back to the beginning of this article and admitting to being a bit illogical at times, I have no real reason to think Seattle should beat the Eagles. Though the Eagles have lost two straight games, they were to the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys, two teams the Seahawks have also lost to recently. The only other loss for the Eagles came somewhat shockingly against the New York Jets in Week 6.
Seattle doesn't have the Jets defense, though, nor are they as good as the 49ers and Cowboys. So why and how does Seattle pull off the upset? Because if the Seahawks don't, the season might get uglier.
Pete Carroll has only once lost five straight games in the NFL. That was in 1994 when Carroll was coaching the New York Jets, his first season as a head coach in the league. He had only lost four straight games once before until Seattle lost their fourth straight when they were beaten by the 49ers in Week 14. A fifth straight loss, even with three potentially winnable games to follow, might cost Carroll the locker room, one that already appears to be in need of repair.
I don't think most of Monday Night Football is a fun watch for 12s. The Eagles will lead most of the game and eat a bunch of the clock. But I think DK Metcalf gets two splash plays, and Kenneth Walker gains 100 yards, including one long run, and Seattle pulls off a late victory 21-20.