10 observations from Eagles-Seahawks

Discouraging day for the Eagles, and in our 10 Instant Observations we cover Mark Sanchez and Russell Wilson, Zach Ertz and Malcolm Jenkins, Chip Kelly’s timeout, the refs, Shady, Bart Starr and much more from the Eagles’ 24-14 loss to the Seahawks at the Linc (see Instant Replay).

Here we go:

1. A real wake-up call Sunday for an Eagles team that believed it was ready to prove that it was one of the NFC’s elite teams. Instead, the Seahawks really took it to the Eagles on both sides of the ball and snagged inside track on the No. 2 seed in the NFC from the Eagles. I know some fans will blame the refs for this game, and they were shaky, but come on. There were some weird calls and no calls, but the Eagles just looked overmatched on both sides of the ball. They scored 14 points, but seven came on a 14-yard drive after a turnover. They allowed 24 points to a team averaging 20 per game on the road. They gave up big plays, allowed long third-down conversions, got fooled repeatedly by the zone read, converted just two of 11 third downs, couldn’t sustain drives and really couldn’t stop the Seahawks from doing whatever they wanted to do.

2. Hated Chip Kelly calling a timeout with 1:08 left in the second quarter. Game was tied at seven, the Seahawks had 3rd-and-13 on their own 37-yard line, and I understand he had faith in his defense to get a stop. But even if you hold the Seahawks on third down, what’s the best-case scenario? You get the ball back with under a minute left deep in your own territory. Let’s be realistic. The Eagles were not going to drive 80 yards in 55 seconds against that defense. As it turned out, the Seahawks took a 10-7 lead on a Steven Hauschka field goal with two seconds left. Probably didn’t affect the outcome, but it didn’t make a lot of sense.

3. Really tremendous stuff out of Fletcher Cox and Mychal Kendricks Sunday. You can’t ask anything more from those two guys. Cox in particular is playing absolutely monstrous football right now. And to think people wondered if he could play in a 3-4. Yeah. He can play in a 3-4.

4. Biggest surprise for me was Wilson’s ability to throw the ball down the field. The Seahawks have not protected Wilson well this year — 26th in the NFL coming into the weekend — and the way the Eagles’ pass rush has been performing — second-best in the league — I didn’t think Wilson would have time to stand in the pocket and float the ball to his receivers the way he did. The Eagles did a terrific job on Marshawn Lynch, who was 23 for 86 and just 13 for 25 after the first three minutes of the game. Wilson was an efficient 22 for 37 for 263 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Solid, efficient, clean. The Eagles dared Wilson to make plays against them, and he did, and I didn’t think that would happen. Not like that.

5. The Eagles had a couple opportunities to really turn this game around in the fourth quarter, but Zach Ertz couldn’t bring in a catchable third-down pass from Sanchez that would have gone for a first down, and Malcolm Jenkins dropped a pick-six right in his hands. Against an elite team like the Seahawks, you have to take advantage of those opportunities, because you’re not going to get very many of them.

6. What about Sanchez? Was a really low-octane performance. Threw a couple TDs, but was only 10 for 20 for 96 yards overall and never got into any sort of rhythm. Yeah, the Seahawks have a terrific secondary, but this was bad. The Seahawks are allowing 209 passing yards per game, and opposing QBs have completed 64 percent of their passes against them. So this was just a totally drab passing performance. Sanchez’s inability to do much of anything is cause for concern. That concern, of course, will evaporate with a bounce-back performance Sunday night against the Cowboys. If not? Time to start examining Nick Foles’ X-rays a little closer.

7. How complete was the Seahawks’ domination up front? They outgained the Eagles, 440-139, and it’s only the 10th time in franchise history the Eagles have been outgained by 300 yards. Only the fourth time at home and the first time since 1962 and a 49-0 loss to Bart Starr and the Packers at Franklin Field. They were outgained by 574 yards that day (628-54).

8. Looks like the Eagles found another exceptional special teamer in mid-season pickup Chris Prosinski. The veteran safety, released earlier this year by the Jaguars, is really making an impact on what’s been the Eagles’ most consistent unit this year.

9. Two games in a row now LeSean McCoy has fumbled, and he’s got to put an end to that. His fumble Sunday was devastating. Come out after halftime down three points and get the football and then just give the Seahawks the ball back inside your own 20 before the half is even 15 seconds old? That’s a momentum killer and really a game killer. Two plays later, the Seahawks turned a three-point lead into a 10-point lead before half the crowd had even returned to its seat. And you’re just not going to come back from 10 points down against Seattle. 

10. Final thought is that the Eagles really blew a tremendous opportunity Sunday not to just prove they’re an elite team but to move closer to locking up a first-round bye. Now? That’ll be almost impossible. If they’re going to make a playoff run, it’s almost certainly going to have to start wild-card weekend. That’s possible but it’s a much rougher road. The Eagles should be beyond losing by 10 at home to anybody. This was a discouraging three hours of football by a team that had won 16 of its previous 20 games and 10 straight at home.