Winners and losers from Seattle Seahawks stunning Week 15 victory vs. Eagles

There was something almost more satisfying about the Seattle Seahawks Week 15 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles because of how Seattle won after coming off a four-game losing streak. The win was extremely cathartic and hopefully gives Seattle a ton of momentum heading into the final three weeks of the season. The playoffs are a very real option for Seattle right now.

But Week 15? That was the classic ugly brilliance we have come to know from Pete Carroll's Seahawks teams over the last decade-plus. Just when things seem lost, Seattle snatches victory from the jaws of defeat. Tough to watch at times, but the payoff is amazing.

So who are some winners and losers from Seattle's defeat of the Eagles? It's difficult to want to pick any losers after such a fantastic win, but I do have one. The others, however, are heroes for now.

Seattle Seahawks winner No. 1 - Quarterback Drew Lock

Drew Lock had a solid game and appeared to put the ball less in harm's way than he did in Week 14 against the San Francisco 49ers. Leading the team 92 yards on a game-winning touchdown drive with under 2 minutes left in the game is going to get you an A grade. Even if the rest of the game wasn't great, and Lock wasn't always spectacular but also wasn't losing the game for the Seahawks, the touchdown drive made for a special night.

But Lock was a winner on Monday for reasons other than a certain pass he threw. There was the chemistry between him and injured starter Geno Smith during the final drive that probably kept Lock poised and loose. While Smith is QB1 in Seattle, Smith or Lock could have refused to interact during the game. But when Lock did well, it felt like Smith did well too. There was a connection, and from a human aspect, it was great.

There was also Lock's completely genuine on-field post-game interview where he admitted he wasn't even sure he could be an NFL quarterback anymore. People can say what they want about the Seahawks QB battle, but both Smith and Lock proved to be good guys on Monday. And Lock showed to be a potentially decent QB1 for someone someday.

Loser No. 1 - Right guard Anthony Bradford

The Seattle Seahawks offensive line hasn't exactly been great for most of the year, but the unit that went on the field in Week 15 might be the best five Seattle can field. If that is so, then right guard is a wretched issue. To make matters worse, Bradford might be expected to start full-time in 2024. He was chosen in the 2023 NFL Draft and has split time with underperforming Phil Haynes, but the performance Bradford put on against Philadelphia was atrocious.

According to Pro Football Focus, Bradford already was graded as one of the worst pass blockers in the NFL in 2023 ahead of Week 15. He was just OK in run blocking, but there is no shock to me saying that in the NFL a guard needs to be able to run-block and pass-block equally well. Doing one decently and one horribly means that player should sit on the bench.

And Bradford should have been benched during the game against the Eagles because Bradford was greatly struggling with no fix. He allowed one sack, but he also allowed 4 quarterback hurries and 5 total pressures. This was the second game in a row that Bradford had allowed that many pressures. Seattle as a whole only allowed 11 total pressures, so...doing the math, Bradford gave up nearly half of them.

The Seahawks also gave up 9 total hurries, so Bradford allowed almost half of that number, too. Seattle surely won't be keeping Phil Haynes after 2023 and while Bradford will be on the roster, Seattle likely needs to find a new long-term solution at right guard.

Winner No. 2 - Receiver DK Metcalf

Metcalf might have issues with 15-yard penalties from time to time, but he has become the Seahawks go-to receiver at the end of games this year. Several times this season, including Week 10 against the Washington Commanders and Week 15 against the Eagles, Metcalf has been monumental on game-winning drives. This is the case even if for most of the game he has been really shut down.

The odd part, such as against the Eagles, is that Metcalf isn't getting the ball that much. He only had 3 targets before Seattle's game-winning drive. Then he got 3 more on the drive and made two ridiculous catches. The more underrated one might be a six-yard gain that gave the Seahawks a first down but Metcalf had to keep the ball off the turf and get some help from his leg while rolling on the ground to corral the ball.

The other catch was one no other Seahawks receiver could make because they do not have Metcalf size and strength. On third-and-10, Drew Lock heaved one down the sidelines while Metcalf was double-covered. The ball split the defenders and Metcalf grabbed the ball while also having the awareness of where he was on the field and was able to stay inbounds.

Without that play, Seattle almost definitely does not win the game. The catch was also something true No. 1 receivers make. While Metcalf has 12 fewer catches and 3 fewer targets than Tyler Lockett does in 2023, Metcalf also has 3 more touchdowns and 210 more receiving yards along with 6 more yards per average reception. Catches are nice, but touchdowns and yards are what separates good receivers from great ones.

Winner No. 3 - Safety Julian Love

Julian Love has not had the best of seasons overall, but he absolutely exploded just when Seattle had to have a victory in Week 15. It likely helped that the Seahawks did not have safety Jamal Adams on the field gumming up the works and this allowed Love to be a bit more free in coverage and assignments. Without Adams, the Seahawks safety duo of Quandre Diggs and Love looked better than they have all year.

Love was targeted on passes 4 times during the game and 2 of those went for completions. But they also only went for 20 yards with only one of those yards being after the catch. But Love also had 2 interceptions, one sealing the game for Seattle in the closing seconds. The other was in singe coverage deep in the middle of the field where he created a turnover and took a touchdown away from Philadelphia.

Was there some contact and grabbing on the play? Sure. But as the officials could clearly see what was happening, and they decided not to call a penalty that should tell you Love was simply great in the coverage. As we all know, the NFL loves to help out the offense (and take things away from Seattle), but that didn't happen on the play.

Now Seattle just needs to do a few things. One is to keep Jamal Adams on the bench. Another is to hope that Love keeps playing in coverage as he did against Philadelphia. And the other is just to keep winning.

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