November 20, 2016
Stephen Brashear/AP
Seattle Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham spikes the ball after scoring a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016, in Seattle.
Have you heard that CenturyLink Field field is loud? Well, it is.
The rest of the league continues to do the Eagles zero favors, as both the Cowboys and the Giants picked up wins during the early slate of games. To keep pace, the Eagles are dealing with the almost impossible task of beating the Seattle Seahawks in the Pacific Northwest. And they're not doing so hot, trailing 16-7 at halftime. Here's what I saw:
• At least early on, the Eagles were moving the ball better than you might have initially expected. And on their third possession, they marched 68 yards on 13 plays, a methodical drive that was capped off by a nice effort at the goal line by Zach Ertz:
.@ZERTZ_86 will not be denied. #FlyEaglesFly https://t.co/vjL8dywBFn
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 20, 2016
• The official team accounts aren't allowed to have any fun, so credit the Eagles for this nice burn:
False start on Seattle. Crowd noise seems to be a factor. #FlyEaglesFly
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 20, 2016
• Nolan Carroll almost killed a guy:
This @CarrollCity pass break up... 💪#PHIvsSEA https://t.co/65T8HyWMlD
— NFL (@NFL) November 20, 2016
• After Carroll made that big hit, the Eagles wasted a big opportunity with the Seahawks facing a 2nd and 20 in their own territory. The secondary had very soft coverage on the play, allowing Jermaine Kearse to make the catch and set up a 3nd and very manageable. Seattle went on to score a touchdown on a drive that should've ended with them buried near their end zone (see next bullet).
• Little things matter and Brandon Graham's offside penalty turned out to be a huge play. With the Seahawks dealing with a 3rd and 16 in Eagles territory, the Eagles defensive MVP up to this point jumped offside. And on the subsequent 3rd and 11, Russell Wilson went all Russell Wilson:
Oh my, @DangeRussWilson.
— NFL (@NFL) November 20, 2016
SOMEHOW...he finds @TheJimmyGraham.@Seahawks TD! #PHIvsSEA https://t.co/wiCowWPiAQ
Jaylen Watkins made a mess of that coverage on Jimmy Graham, but the mental mistakes add up.
• I thought Carson Wentz was OK. He missed a couple of throws early but his final numbers would be better if Nelson Agholor didn't ruin a couple of big gainers: 10-18 for 82 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. He made a mistake on the late interception by Kam Chancellor, staring down his target.
• Jalen Mills' effort in run support on C.J. Prosise's touchdown wasn't quite the best we've ever seen:
PROSISE!
— NFL (@NFL) November 20, 2016
72 yards to the HOUSE. 🏃💨 #PHIvsSEA https://t.co/v415WXAJ2O
There was no finger wag after that play:
Ball thrown 10 yards over receiver's head... pic.twitter.com/N4XbBr7m82
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) November 20, 2016
• On possibly the greatest play of Doug Pederson and Ertz's career, a 57-yard tight end screen was called back because of an illegal formation penalty on Agholor that had absolutely nothing to do with the play. Just killer:
HOW AS A WR YOU DON'T LINE UP ON THE BALL WHEN YOU SHOULD??? ASK THE REF EVERY FREAKING TIME TO BE SURE!!! #UNBELIEVABLE
— Seth Joyner (@sethjoyner) November 20, 2016
• At this point, the Eagles should probably take Agholor off the field completely. Even if Paul Turner probably isn't the answer, I can't imagine he could play any worse:
Nelson Agholor continues to Agholor. pic.twitter.com/WoTAXniKBY
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) November 20, 2016
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
