December 18, 2023
Joe Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports
Jalen Hurts was downgraded to questionable and had to travel to Seattle separately from the rest of the team because of an illness, but he's still going to start for the Eagles on Monday night.
UPDATE [12:30 p.m] – The Eagles fell apart late against Drew Lock and the Seahawks, dropping their third straight on Monday night, 20-17, and putting the concern across the Delaware Valley at an all-time high.
They're still going to the playoffs, but their chances at capturing the No. 1 seed in the NFC are rapidly fading, the fight for the division with the Cowboys is still very much alive, and there are numerous issues on the field that need to be sorted out and fast.
Otherwise, it's going to be a very short-lived run in January.
Our postgame coverage from Monday night's defeat:
• Final observations: Seahawks 20, Eagles 17 (Shamus Clancy)
• An updated look at the Eagles' playoff picture, current seed (Evan Macy)
• What went wrong: Eagles crumble in last-minute loss to Seahawk (Nick Tricome)
EARLIER...
The 10-3 Philadelphia Eagles suffered blowout losses in each of their last two games, after which they demoted defensive coordinator Sean Desai and installed Matt Patricia as the new defensive play caller. A win over their Week 15 opponent, the Seattle Seahawks, would be a temporary deodorant. A loss would severely damage any chances the Eagles have of earning the 1 seed in the NFC, and will no doubt thrust the city into a full-on football panic.
Both teams in this matchup have ailing quarterbacks. Jalen Hurts was sick enough that he flew out to Seattle separately from the team, so as not to infect any other teammates. He is expected to play. Geno Smith, meanwhile, was considered a "longshot" to play due to a lingering groin injury. He didn't take warmups and Seattle backup Drew Lock was out taking first-team reps UPDATE: Lock is starting. You can find the Eagles-Seahawks inactives HERE.
As we noted in our five matchups to watch, the Seahawks have a trio of talented wide receivers in DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The Eagles' pass defense has been a mess of late, and they'll have to figure out how to cover on the back end without Darius Slay. The Eagles do have matchup advantages in their favor, however, notably their defensive line against the Seahawks' very young offensive line.
The Eagles are 3.5-point road favorites. Here are our staff writer picks. Feel free to discuss the game in the comments section below.
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