Week 15 Preview: Philadelphia Eagles at Seattle Seahawks
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This Week 15 matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks has massive implications when it comes to the playoffs. With a win, the Seahawks would move to 7-7 and increase their chances of being one of the seven teams representing the NFC. If the Eagles win, they move to 11-3 and keep their chances of winning the division and possibly getting the one seed back. Both teams come into this game playing their worst football of the season. The Seahawks are currently amid a four-game losing streak after losing to the Rams, Cowboys, and 49ers twice. On the other side, the Eagles have now picked up back-to-back losses for the first time this season after being dominated by both the Cowboys and 49ers. It comes as no surprise that the NFL decided to flex this game to Monday night as it will have a huge impact on the NFC playoff picture.
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Now moving onto the offensive side of the ball, the Eagles hold a significant edge. The Eagles have the 8th ranked total offense averaging 358.8 yards per game and have scored 38 offensive touchdowns. Taking a deeper dive into the Eagles’ offense, they have the 13th ranked passing offense averaging 234.3 yards per game and have 19 passing touchdowns. Then when it comes to the ground game the Eagles are averaging 124.5 rush yards per game and have 18 rushing touchdowns ranking them 8th best in the NFL. Now arguably the most important stat offensively is your scoring offense, where the Eagles are ranked 6th averaging 26.3 points per game. Two reasons the Eagles have been able to put up points are their red zone and third-down offense. Once in the red zone, the Eagles are scoring a touchdown 60.4% of the time which is the tenth best in the NFL. Then on third down the Eagles have been one of the top teams in the league, as they’re converting 47.7% of the time which is third-best only behind the Bills and Cowboys. After back-to-back sloppy performances, the Eagles will be looking to bounce back and have a good offensive showing in a tough environment.
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Switching over to the Seahawks, they have had a down season thus far offensively, but have the pieces to score points as they showed against Dallas in Week 13. When looking at their offense, they are averaging 324.9 yards per game and have gotten into the endzone 29 times ranking them 20th in the NFL. Looking at their pass offense specifically, Seattle is averaging 232.9 passing yards per game and have thrown for 17 touchdowns. The passing game has been their strong suit this season as they hold the 15th ranked passing offense. Now looking at their rushing offense the Seahawks have really struggled, averaging 92 yards per game while only rushing for nine touchdowns putting them at 28th in rush offense. It does get a little better when looking at the scoring department as the Seahawks are averaging 21.5 points per game which is 17th best which isn’t great. A couple of reasons why they’re struggling in the scoring department have been their red zone offense and third down offense. The Seahawks have the 22nd-ranked red zone offense scoring a touchdown 50% of the time they get inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. It only gets worse on third down as the Seahawks are converting third down 33.3% of the time, which ranks them 26th in third down offense. Even with a rough offensive season through 13 games, the Seahawks will have a great opportunity to bounce back against a struggling Eagles defensive unit.
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The Eagles currently hold the 22nd-ranked total defense allowing 353.9 yards per game and have given up 39 touchdowns. One big reason for these defensive struggles has been their 28th-ranked pass defense. The Eagles are giving up 259.9 passing yards per game and 29 passing touchdowns which is second worst only behind the Washington Commanders who have given up 30. It won’t get any easier as cornerback Darius Slay has now been ruled out for the game against the Seahawks. The lone bright spot for this Eagles’ defense has been their ability to stop the run. The Eagles currently have the 6th ranked rush defense holding their opponents to 94 rushing yards per game and have given up only eight touchdowns on the ground. Unfortunately, their defense only goes downhill from here as they have the 28th-ranked scoring defense giving up on average 24.7 points per game. Two massive reasons why they’re giving up so many points are their red zone defense and third down defense. In the red zone this year the Eagles are allowing their opponents to score a touchdown 70.5% of the time which is 30th in the NFL. Then on third down the Eagles are giving up conversions 48.1% of the time, which is a league worst. If the Eagles want to improve their defense, they must start with being better on third down.
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On the other side, the Seahawks haven’t been much better defensively as they’re allowing 367 yards per game and 36 touchdowns ranking them 28th in total defense. Looking at their pass defense, they are giving up 243.6 yards per game and their opponents have scored 19 passing touchdowns. On the ground the Seahawks have been bad as teams are averaging 123.4 rushing yards per game and given up 17 touchdowns, ranking them 23rd in rush defense. With Seattle struggling to stop the run and pass it comes as no surprise that they’re the 26th-ranked scoring defense, allowing their opposition to average 24.5 points per game. Two reasons they are giving up such a high number of points is due to their red zone defense and third down defense. The Seahawks are allowing a touchdown 63.4% of the time their opponent gets inside their 20-yard line which is 25th in the NFL. Then on third down the Seahawks’ defense has also been bad as they’re ranked 30th allowing their opposition to convert third downs 45.8% of the time. With both teams having bottom-ten defenses it's likely this game will result in a higher-scoring affair.
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In the end, the winner of this game will likely be determined by two factors; who wins the turnover battle and who’s more efficient on offense. The Eagles have been prone to turning it over at times during this season so if Seattle is able to take advantage, they will have the opportunity to pull out a win. For the Eagles, if they can stop turning it over and limit penalties it would go a long way in getting their offense back on track. In addition, with both offenses going against horrific third down defenses they will be in a prime position to put up points potentially making for a very entertaining Monday Night Football game with plenty at stake.
