Tag: 17-9

5 takeaways from Seahawks’ 17-9 playoff victory over Eagles

The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild card round of the 2019 playoffs. Here are five takeaways from the game.

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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5 takeaways from Seahawks’ gritty 17-9 victory over Eagles

The Seattle Seahawks (9-2) defeated the Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) on the road by a score of 17-9 in a game filled with turnovers and incompetent offense.

The Seattle Seahawks (9-2) defeated the Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) on the road by a score of 17-9 in a game filled with turnovers and incompetent offense. Seattle secured a winning record for the eighth consecutive season and can take the division lead if the San Francisco 49ers (9-1) lose to the Green Bay Packers (8-2) on Sunday night. Here are five takeaways from the game.

Defense holds firm and totals five turnovers

The defense had a solid day even without Jadeveon Clowney, limiting the Eagles offense on Sunday. In addition, they had five total turnovers that were crucial to that accomplishment, often setting Seattle up in field goal range. The tackling was generally strong and the defensive backs mostly provided great coverage on their respective assignments, notching two interceptions off of Carson Wentz. They gave the offense multiple opportunities to put points on the board. However…

Missed opportunities on offense

The offense failed to capitalize on most of the chances given to them by the defense. Wide receiver DK Metcalf had three drops, including a brutal one on a surefire touchdown pass from Russell Wilson. After Quinton Jefferson recovered a fumble and took it deep into Philadelphia territory, the Seahawks turned a first and 10 into a first and 20 with back-to-back false start and delay of game penalties. This turned into a third and 25, leading Wilson to throw his third interception of the season. They did enough to win the game, but the missed opportunities were plentiful and Seattle cannot afford them later in the season.

Rashaad Penny shows improvement

Penny had his best game in quite some time, recording 129 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. That TD came on the longest run of his career, a 58-yard run.  It was also the longest rushing score for Seattle in the past three years. After being outshone by Chris Carson for most of the season, Penny came through when his team needed him to. This game could be a momentum shift in the season for the much-maligned second-year running back, and he will likely receive more carries going forward. Seattle could certainly use bigger contributions from Penny, so hopefully he builds on this.

Chris Carson fumbles twice in a row

Carson had a pair of egregious fumbles on back-to-back plays, the second of which Philadelphia recovered. The second one may have been attributed to Wilson as a botched handoff, but Carson was still at least partially to blame for not securing it. His ball-security issues continue to hamper the Seahawks offense. On top of that, he only had 26 rushing yards on eight carries. This, combined with Penny’s solid day, could give Carson less playing time for the remainder of the season.

Russell Wilson turns in a hot-and-cold performance

Wilson completed 13 of 25 passes for 200 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He was the victim of a few unfortunate drops, most prominently by Metcalf. However, it was not the best game by Wilson’s lofty standards. His interception was a bounce to Rodney McLeod off a solid play by Ronald Darby. His touchdown pass to Malik Turner off a trick play was a thing of beauty, but he took quite a few sacks in crucial moments and his 75.4 passer rating is his lowest since the Seahawks’ Week 7 loss to the Baltimore. In the end, Wilson did enough to win and his performance shows how high his standards have become after largely playing at an MVP-caliber level through the first ten games.

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