Coming off their lopsided 38-20 loss to the New England Patriots, the Eagles face the difficult task of regrouping physically and emotionally before traveling cross-country on a short week to take on the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night. It's a matchup of two 2010 division winners, but also of two 4-7 teams who find themselves looking longingly up the standings at those in playoff position.
Last year, the Eagles also played a Thursday night game in Week 13 coming off a loss when they dispatched the Houston Texans at Lincoln Financial Field 34-24. This time around, the shockingly 4-7 Eagles face a six-hour flight before the Thursday night contest. Waiting for them is a Seahawks team that has also disappointed at 4-7, but will pose a tough test, especially in front of the notoriously loud fans at CenturyLink Field (formerly Qwest Field). The Eagles figure to be led by Vince Young for the third straight game as Michael Vick continues to recover from his two broken ribs. Over his last two starts, Young has combined to throw for 658 yards, three touchdowns, four interceptions and a quarterback rating of 79.4. Tellingly, Young has only been sacked twice over the past two games as the offensive line has afforded him plenty of time in the pocket. That should continue as the Seahawks defense ranks 28th in sacks per pass attempt. Because of the short week of preparation, the game plan for both teams could be comparatively limited, which could mean more touches for LeSean McCoy, the league's leading rusher.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks, and the rest of the NFC West, are all but eliminated from the division hunt. With only one more win from the San Francisco 49ers, or a Seahawks loss, the Niners will wrap up the division. But the Seahawks have plenty to play for as head coach Pete Carroll continues to overturn the roster and they've impressed this year with wins over the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens. The Eagles' mettle will be tested during the final five games of the season – with only a glimmer of playoff hope remaining, how will the team respond? Those answers begin Thursday night.
When The Seahawks Have The Ball:
After forcing a three-and-out on the first drive last Sunday, the Eagles defense proceeded to allow five touchdowns on the next eight possessions, which also included one field goal and one missed field goal. Of course, the maestro behind those drives was Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, one of the best to ever play his position. Tarvaris Jackson, the Seahawks quarterback, has a long way to go before he's mentioned in the same breath as Brady. On the season, Jackson has thrown for 2,065 yards, nine touchdowns, 12 interceptions, a completion percentage of 59.1 and a quarterback rating of 72.8 – 29th among 33 qualifying quarterbacks. The Seahawks running game hasn't fared much better, as lead back Marshawn Lynch ranks 17th in the league with 706 rushing yards to the tune of only 3.9 yards per carry. So it's no wonder that the Seahawks ranks 30th in overall offense and 26th in scoring. And tellingly, they rank 31st in the league in time of possession, so the onus is on the Eagles defense to get the ball back in the hands of the likes of Vince Young, LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson.
Defensively, the Eagles could potentially be without two of their top three cornerbacks. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has missed the last two games with a high ankle sprain and is unlikely to play this week while Nnamdi Asomugha, who toughed it out in a sub-package role against the Patriots, is fighting through a hyperextended knee, which won't be helped by the short week of preparation. That could mean that Brandon Hughes will make his second consecutive start while Joselio Hanson mans the nickel role inside. As always, any semblance of turnover or turmoil in the secondary puts pressure on the defensive line to pressure the quarterback in passing situations. The Eagles, who at one point led the league in sacks earlier this season, have waned a little bit over the last few games and now rank tied for seventh with 30 sacks on the season. Trent Cole has uncharacteristically gone two games without a sack, so he'll certainly be quarterback-hungry, while his partner in crime Jason Babin, has plenty of motivation to make an impact Thursday – more on that later. Cole, Babin and the rest of the defensive line should have an opportunity to get to Jackson as the Seahawks offensive line, best by several injuries, has allowed a sack on just under 10 percent of their passing plays.
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