The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 17-9 at Lincoln Financial Field to advance to the divisional round of the playoffs. The score was the same as that of their regular-season victory in Philadelphia. Seattle will now travel to Green Bay to take on the Packers in the divisional round on Sunday. Here are five takeaways from this game.

Defensive battle in the first half

The Seahawks entered halftime up 10-3. Both defenses played well in the first half and didn’t give up a touchdown until Marshawn Lynch’s run with just over a minute left in the half. The Seahawks defense bent but didn’t break, never allowing a touchdown and getting key stops when they needed to. The Eagles defense played solidly overall until the final play when they allowed DK Metcalf to corral a deep third-down pass from Russell Wilson to clinch the win.

Jadeveon Clowney’s helmet-to-helmet hit should have been penalized

Clowney hit Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz while leading with his helmet when the latter gave himself up. This should have been penalized by the officials, but it was not. Wentz would not return for the remainder of the game, leaving Josh McCown to step in. The Eagles had some success offensively with McCown as their quarterback, but it was not enough to rally for the win.

Russell Wilson returns to vintage form

Wilson had his best game in recent memory, throwing for 325 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions while completing 18 of his 30 passes (60%). He also chipped in 45 rushing yards and looked like his dynamic self once again, often scrambling to avoid sacks, getting yards himself when necessary, and making decisive throws for the most part. He missed his mark a few times but played well enough to win and his final pass to DK Metcalf to clinch the victory was a thing of beauty. Speaking of which…

DK Metcalf had a playoff debut for the ages

Metcalf had seven receptions for 160 yards and a touchdown in his first postseason game. He had a number of big catches, including the game-winning reception on third and 10 with under two minutes in regulation. This was exactly what Wilson and the offense needed with the team having lost many key offensive players to injuries. What’s more, the Eagles passed on Metcalf in the 2019 draft, electing to draft JJ Arcega-Whiteside instead, seven selections before Metcalf dropped to Seattle. Very satisfying for the rookie indeed.

Seahawks continue to play well on the road

Seattle continues to excel on the road, improving the team’s road record to 8-1 on the season including the playoffs. This has been an anomaly from the Seahawks’ usual dominance at home, but they will need to keep it up. Seattle will likely have to play two more games away from CenturyLink Field to get to the Super Bowl, starting with their divisional-round matchup with the No. 2 seed Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

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