Our upcoming game.

[SonnyCID]

True.... and it definitely will help.

But it remains a question how good the Seattle defense truly is or how much it is a product of the opposition, since over the past few weeks they have not faced the most stellar offenses in the league (based on YperP), in NYG's 25th, KC's 24th, SF's 26th, and AZ 21st - with AZ having lost their starting QB, and probably a big drop-off as a result from that. In Football Outsider's DVOA these offenses would rank - respectively - 21st, 11th, 18th, and 24th.

The Eagles rank 11th in YPP and 15th on offense DVOA (interesting to see where that discrepancy comes from, BWT).

And KC's offense managed to hang 24 points on Seattle.

I guess Oakland is too far back, and not sure to what extent you would factor in garbage time, but that 32nd ranked YPP and 30th ranked DVOA (offense) managed to score 17 points against the Seattle D...

Wagner and Chancellor add a visible increased element of speed and tackling ability. Opponent aside, there is an obvious difference in this defenses range over the past couple weeks.

 

[SonnyCID]

So how exactly is Seattle going to score 31?
Have they scored 31 points this year yet - and if so, against who?

They haven't played a team that turns the ball over as much as Philly. Field position leads to points.

 

[DutchBird]

I can understand how the Seahawk offense can look underwhelming from the outside, if you're not watching them every week, but they are very effective. They just wear defenses down, between getting pounded by Lynch and chasing Wilson around, the top ranked rushing offense gets better throughout a game. Also, they are are 2nd in giveaways, to Philly's 32nd.

True - but the question was who would win it is - somehow - the Eagles were able to shut down Seattle's running game; or Seattle was forced to abandon the running game for some reason...

Shutting down the running game and containing Wilson (both in the running game as well as passing) IS going to be a serious challenge. But the Eagles have the benefit of practicing (somewhat) against such an offense every single day; also, on multiple occasions the Eagles faced offenses that were supposed to run all over them, yet they were able to stop these. Surprisingly - for instance - the Eagles have only allowed 2 rushers over 100 yards since the beginning of last season(!). One of those was Frank Gore, who gained 119 yards in a game where the Eagles defense was on the field for over 42 minutes! The other was Jennings in the game against Oakland (102 yards) that was effectively over by half-time, or halfway through the 3rd quarter at the latest (when the Eagles were up by 15 and 36 points respectively).


THE major weakness of the Eagles has been giving up the big play in the passing game...

 

[SonnyCID]

True - but the question was who would win it is - somehow - the Eagles were able to shut down Seattle's running game; or Seattle was forced to abandon the running game for some reason...

Shutting down the running game and containing Wilson (both in the running game as well as passing) IS going to be a serious challenge. But the Eagles have the benefit of practicing (somewhat) against such an offense every single day; also, on multiple occasions the Eagles faced offenses that were supposed to run all over them, yet they were able to stop these. Surprisingly - for instance - the Eagles have only allowed 2 rushers over 100 yards since the beginning of last season(!). One of those was Frank Gore, who gained 119 yards in a game where the Eagles defense was on the field for over 42 minutes! The other was Jennings in the game against Oakland (102 yards) that was effectively over by half-time, or halfway through the 3rd quarter at the latest (when the Eagles were up by 15 and 36 points respectively).


THE major weakness of the Eagles has been giving up the big play in the passing game...

I've seen games where Lynch had 50 yards on 20 carries, and by the end, that defense was gassed. Shutting down the Seahawks run is possible, it just seems to take a heavy toll, and your offense needs to score enough not to let the Seahawks hang around.

 

[DutchBird]

They haven't played a team that turns the ball over as much as Philly. Field position leads to points.

Yet somehow this (turnovers = points) does not hold true for the Eagles this season so far....

Despite being worst in the league in turn-over differential, they rank middle of the pack in PPG given up (18th). O yeah, and they rank 4th in the league in points differential.

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

True.... and it definitely will help.

But it remains a question how good the Seattle defense truly is or how much it is a product of the opposition, since over the past few weeks they have not faced the most stellar offenses in the league (based on YperP), in NYG's 25th, KC's 24th, SF's 26th, and AZ 21st - with AZ having lost their starting QB, and probably a big drop-off as a result from that. In Football Outsider's DVOA these offenses would rank - respectively - 21st, 11th, 18th, and 24th.

The Eagles rank 11th in YPP and 15th on offense DVOA (interesting to see where that discrepancy comes from, BWT).

And KC's offense managed to hang 24 points on Seattle.

I guess Oakland is too far back, and not sure to what extent you would factor in garbage time, but that 32nd ranked YPP and 30th ranked DVOA (offense) managed to score 17 points against the Seattle D...

Seattle wasn't healthy, 7 starters out in the Raiders game... Our D has been hobbled most of the year .... Still missing Mebane, but other key guys are back .... Obviously we're not as beastly as last year defensively , but we're still dangerous .... Sanchez is gonna have his hands full, You guys are a good running team so I expect to see a lot of attempts there limiting Sanchez vs our secondary .... Should be a war ...

 

[Uhsplit]

I am not knowledgeable about your team, hence this thread. How does you team turn the ball over? IIRC you don't throw many ints. Is it fumbles?

 

[Uhsplit]

Good to see a few of my Seahawk brothers chime in!

 

[John]

They haven't played a team that turns the ball over as much as Philly. Field position leads to points.

How many times has Seattle scored 31 points this year?

 

[DutchBird]

I am not knowledgeable about your team, hence this thread. How does you team turn the ball over? IIRC you don't throw many ints. Is it fumbles?

Mostly INTs, and the majority of the turnovers Foles... There was a stretch where players who normally do not fumble (Celek for instance) started to fumble... IIRC before his injury, Foles led the league in INTs thrown. Even many of his fumbles were of the WTF variety, including an 'Eli' worse than the original (Eli Manning lost (or initiated an Eagles comeback in) a game against the Eagles once because he fumbled (without being touched by a defender) when diving instead of sliding after a run for no good reason, and the ball being recovered by the defense).

And many of Foles INT's are/were of the 'WTF were you thinking/seeing' type, where the most difficult thing a defender has to do is not drop a ball thrown straight at him. The one by Peppers in the game against GB was typical.

The most encouraging thing from Sanchez is that he has - at least - had games where he did not throw INT's. I do not think Foles has had any this season. And of the INT's Sanchez has thrown this season, there is IIRC only one Sanchez INT was clearly of the WTF-type, others can at least be explained differently (lazy route running, coming in cold).

One could - and some did, personally I would not go that far - even make the argument that the Eagles were winning despite Foles this season, rather than because of him. So far, that argument cannot be made for Sanchez.

 

[SonnyCID]

How many times has Seattle scored 31 points this year?

Just once. Scored 30 another time. Both games against offenses who turn the ball over.

Whats your prediction for the game John?

 

[John]

Just once. Scored 30 another time. Both games against offenses who turn the ball over.

Whats your prediction for the game John?

I'm Sorry but I don't make predictions.

The Eagles were pumped against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving.
The Eagles will be pumped against the Cowboys in a week and a half.
The Seahawks were pumped against the 49'ers on Thanksgiving.
The Seahawks will be pumped against the 49'ers in a week and a half.

This non-division game, the ONLY one left for both teams, will come down to who is less flat. I would like to think that the Eagles will be less flat because they are at home. The Seahawks will have to travel 3000 miles against a team that has won TEN straight home games.

 

[Mariners_44]

I'm Sorry but I don't make predictions.

The Eagles were pumped against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving.
The Eagles will be pumped against the Cowboys in a week and a half.
The Seahawks were pumped against the 49'ers on Thanksgiving.
The Seahawks will be pumped against the 49'ers in a week and a half.

This non-division game, the ONLY one left for both teams, will come down to who is less flat. I would like to think that the Eagles will be less flat because they are at home. The Seahawks will have to travel 3000 miles against a team that has won TEN straight home games.

In those TEN wins at home you faced a top ten defense ONCE, and that was last year against Arizona. You guy's won by a mere 3 points, and managed to hang 24 points on them. You guy's have many reasons to be excited about that offense, but you're overlooking a high caliber defense; #1 mind you. The Seahawks play against the top D's all year, and the offense has to practice against some of the best defensive players in the league. I'm looking forward to seeing Sanchez throw it to Sherman's side, or even over the middle where Bam Bam resides. Alligator arms will come out quick.

 

[Mariners_44]

You are making a completely false comparison here... since the rest of the elements of the offense are not even close in comparison - you have to look at the whole package (= O-line, QB, receivers AND scheme) vs opposing pass defense...

QB comparison: Wilson (much) better than Sanchez; this assessment is mostly because Wilson has proven his worth in the current system, and in many ways Sanchez in this Chip Kelly system is an unknown. He had some bad games (or bad moments), while also having some very good moments.

RB comparison: Eagles (McCoy and Sproles) much better than what the Seahawks have to offer.

WR comparison: Eagles much better.

TE comparison: Probably a wash, both Celek and Ertz have shown to be able to take over games, their limited numbers seems as much scheme as anything else (definitely not lack of talent).

O-line: Not too familiar with the Seahawks, but my guess is that the Eagles O-line is much better than that of the Seahawks, based on the statistics available; Eagles have 18 sacks allowed to the Seahawks' 31, with a statue as QB for half the season, and the major instability of the O-line due to suspension/injury.

The whole package the Eagles have on offer is much better than that of the Seahawks, and it is not even close. If I had to choose between Wilson or Sanchez as QB, while all else remains the same, then the obvious choice is Wilson. If the Eagles pass rush is able to maintain discipline, and not let Wilson escape, the Seahawks could be in for a very long day.


The big question is whether the Eagles offense vs Seahawks defense > Eagles defense vs Seahawks offense.

That's just flat out false. Seattle has almost 500 more yards rushing than Philly, and one of those rushers has the ability to throw it anytime behind the line because he is the QB. Don't forget, Seattle shut Darren Sproles down last year against the Saints in the playoffs; they're more than familiar. They may not have had a Shady on the other side, but they had an entire passing game that they had to worry about when considering his defense.

 

[Uhsplit]

Mostly INTs, and the majority of the turnovers Foles... There was a stretch where players who normally do not fumble (Celek for instance) started to fumble... IIRC before his injury, Foles led the league in INTs thrown. Even many of his fumbles were of the WTF variety, including an 'Eli' worse than the original (Eli Manning lost (or initiated an Eagles comeback in) a game against the Eagles once because he fumbled (without being touched by a defender) when diving instead of sliding after a run for no good reason, and the ball being recovered by the defense).

And many of Foles INT's are/were of the 'WTF were you thinking/seeing' type, where the most difficult thing a defender has to do is not drop a ball thrown straight at him. The one by Peppers in the game against GB was typical.

The most encouraging thing from Sanchez is that he has - at least - had games where he did not throw INT's. I do not think Foles has had any this season. And of the INT's Sanchez has thrown this season, there is IIRC only one Sanchez INT was clearly of the WTF-type, others can at least be explained differently (lazy route running, coming in cold).

One could - and some did, personally I would not go that far - even make the argument that the Eagles were winning despite Foles this season, rather than because of him. So far, that argument cannot be made for Sanchez.

Thanks for the info. Duh! For some reason I thought Foles had a great TD-INT ratio.

 

[DutchBird]

That's just flat out false. Seattle has almost 500 more yards rushing than Philly, and one of those rushers has the ability to throw it anytime behind the line because he is the QB. Don't forget, Seattle shut Darren Sproles down last year against the Saints in the playoffs; they're more than familiar. They may not have had a Shady on the other side, but they had an entire passing game that they had to worry about when considering his defense.

If looking at RB's, the Eagles are much better, no contest.

Ahum, those 500 yards rushing might have had something to do with the complete mess that was the Eagles O-line for the majority of this season... and that was combined with teams completely selling out against the run in ways that were completely new to the offense (i.e. that had not been shown in tape); at least that per Chip Kelly, Pat Shurmur, LeSean McCoy and just about every O-linemen on the Eagles. O yeah, and McCoy did not have a mobile QB (or well-passing QB) as decoy to make things easier for him either.

Since the injuries have healed, and there has been some continuity, LeSean has been back to his good old self - and might end up as 2nd leading rusher in the league this season.

Of course the nearly 700 yards of Russel Wilson greatly distort that statistic (Seahawks have rushed for 500 more yards than the Eagles) as well. And yes, Wilson's mobility WILL be the X-factor in this whole debate (both rushing and passing).

 

[DutchBird]

Thanks for the info. Duh! For some reason I thought Foles had a great TD-INT ratio.

That was last year...

 

[Birds4life81]

Not sure why you guys are arguing -- eagles and hawks fans. Post your opinions and your prediction, then we'll let the big boys go out and decide the game. Should be a fun game. Very intense game that should be a defensive battle. Seahawks are a great team, especially defensively - this is a big test and I am excited to see where we stack up.

 

[Uhsplit]

Birds, I don't think anyone is really arguing. It is more like stating why you believe in your team and both of our fan bases are passionate about our ball clubs.
I say it is all good, no one has insulted anyone's wife or mom or head coach.
Let's keep the info going and I bet all of us in this thread vote for a hard fought game that is free of injuries and uneven flag throwing.

How about one of you telling how you would game plan against this Seattle team. We will respond.

 

[Mariners_44]

Not sure why you guys are arguing -- eagles and hawks fans. Post your opinions and your prediction, then we'll let the big boys go out and decide the game. Should be a fun game. Very intense game that should be a defensive battle. Seahawks are a great team, especially defensively - this is a big test and I am excited to see where we stack up.

Don't get it twisted Birds, this is all in good faith here. This is why it's great when opposite fans can debate because it isn't taken personal. Us trying to do that with Niners fans would be like you guys approaching the Cowboys board, may work for a bit but eventually someone gets butt hurt. All good here, appreciate us joining your board.




Now back to the debate..........