Adrian Fedkiw
It was a humbling loss.
A harsh learning experience for the Philadelphia Eagles, Doug Pederson and Carson Wentz. They are no longer the current top seed in the NFC, that belongs to Case Keenum and the resilient Minnesota Vikings. Both teams are 10-2.
And suddenly here come the surging Seattle Seahawks. They have Russell Wilson to thank for that. He tossed three touchdowns, consistently gave the Eagles’ front seven fits with his quick release and elusiveness to keep plays alive on third down, and he led Seattle to a convinging 24-10 win.
Wentz left about 17 points on the field. He fumbled and turned the ball over for the first time in the red zone all season. He also overthrew a wide open Nelson Agholor on a third-down crossing route in the first half, which would’ve led the Birds to at least a possible field goal attempt. Then he underthrew Agholor running a similar route in the third quarter, which Wentz severely underthrew. That could’ve been a touchdown had he led him properly.
1st red zone turnover of the season for Wentz pic.twitter.com/XVmKlhm6bc
— The Bitter Birds (@AdrianFedkiw) December 4, 2017
That was the fumble, here was his underthrow of Agholor for a potential touchdown.
Wentz overthrew Agholor earlier and underthrew him here. Could've been 6. pic.twitter.com/YQXdoFZr3B
— The Bitter Birds (@AdrianFedkiw) December 4, 2017
Wentz didn’t start gaining momentum until the fourth quarter when he made two unreal scrambles and throws to Agholor on third down, crawling the Eagles within 17-10. He finished the game 29-of-45 for 348 yards with a touchdown and interception.
CARSON WENTZ HAS FINALLY SHOWN UP!!! Let's not forget about Agholor either, getting rid of the demons in Seattle. pic.twitter.com/QfFDD9rp76
— The Bitter Birds (@AdrianFedkiw) December 4, 2017
Then Wilson pulled off his greatest feat on a 3rd-and-9 on the ensuing drive. Was this a forward pass or no? That play led Wilson hooking up with J.D. McKissic for a 15-yard score. With 7:29 to play it was too much of a hill for the Eagles to climb.
That was a forward pass, but hat tip to Russell Wilson. pic.twitter.com/P7k95hhgND
— The Bitter Birds (@AdrianFedkiw) December 4, 2017
Philly got off to a sluggish start. Seattle led 10-0 following a quarter of play and Wilson’s 11-yard TD toss to Jimmy Graham was the first score allowed by the Eagles’ defense in the opening stanza all year.
1st TD the Eagles defense has allowed all year. Perfect throw and catch from Wilson to Graham, coverage by Jenkins wasn't bad. 10-0 Seattle. pic.twitter.com/vddDKGaP6m
— The Bitter Birds (@AdrianFedkiw) December 4, 2017
The Eagles trailed 10-3 at the break and finally got a drive going on the opening possession of the third quarter. Alshon Jeffery and Zach Ertz, who had combined for just one target in the first half, hauled in four receptions on the march. Unfortunately Wentz lost the ball before crossing the plane.
Ertz and Jeffery were targeted just once in the first half, they had 4 receptions on that last drive. Despite the fumble, there were positive signs on that series. pic.twitter.com/tSFcuBxmCI
— The Bitter Birds (@AdrianFedkiw) December 4, 2017
Then Wilson hit Doug Baldwin for a 47-yard deep ball before finishing Seattle’s TD trek with a 1-yard flip to Tyler Lockett. That made it 17-3.
Eagles get burned by the blitz, Wilson gets the ball out before it gets to him and Baldwin beats McLeod deep pic.twitter.com/jk9OjKJsH5
— The Bitter Birds (@AdrianFedkiw) December 4, 2017
It was a tough task for the Eagles’ defensive line to contain Wilson and they did an admirable job. Something they did effectively was line up Brandon Graham at the defensive tackle spot.
Brandon Graham in at DT on 3rd down and gets his 8th sack of the year. pic.twitter.com/HXApdK7XP3
— The Bitter Birds (@AdrianFedkiw) December 4, 2017
Pederson is going to take a lot of heat this week. The gameplan was very conservative in the first half, but the key here is to not let the season get away. It’s onto the Los Angeles Rams and essentially a must-win if the Eagles want to be a No. 1 seed. I’m going to see how Pederson responds.
That’s what he needs to do.
Wentz needs to respond, too.
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