Our upcoming game.

[Mariners_44]

As pointed out before:

(a) You are using the MOST USELESS and distorting defensive stat - total yardage - to bolster your argument. This holds even more true, simply because of the TOP disparity as a result of the speed of the offense (IIRC they were dead last in TOP last year. Currently they rank 27th in the league, amidst Tennessee and Oakland), which means that the defense will be on the field more often. Looking at much more useful stats, like yards per play, they rank 11th (Seattle ranks 4th). But even that game still is distorted by garbage time yards. When looking at Football Outsider's DVOA rankings (which ought to compensate for that, as well as strength of opponent), they rank 8th (Seattle ranks 6th).

(b) Somehow, despite the Eagles being dead last in the league in turnover margin before this week by a wide margin, somehow the Eagles defense has been good enough to keep the offense in the game and give them the opportunity to win the game in all but one game this season (GB). The only answer to this anomaly is to conclude that the defense is able to stop the opposing offenses from capitalizing on Eagles turnovers. The Eagles being 9-3 with while being dead last in turnovers in the league comes close to being a statistical impossibility. Credit HAS to go to the defense for making that near impossibility a reality.

(c) You ignore the fact that the Eagles defense is 2nd in the league in sacks, with 42. More than DOUBLE what the Seahawks defense has gotten so far (20).

(d) You ignore the fact that the Eagles defense LEADS the league in forced fumbles (20 fumbles forced, compared to Seattle's 16). To make matters even more fun, Wilson apparently has 9 fumbles this season (according to NFL.com), and Marshawn Lynch so far is doing better than in previous seasons holding on to the ball, and it will be interesting to see if he can keep that up.

(e) The strength of the defense is the run-defense. I know how everybody predicted how Foster and Murray would run all over us. The opposite was true. The big problem is going to be containing Wilson, and keeping him in the pocket. This will be a challenge. They have only given up ONE 100 yard rusher (119 yards to Frank Gore, with SF controlling the ball over 42 minutes!), and one additional game where they got run over (Indianapolis, with two runners over 70 yards).

(f) The weakness of the Eagles defense is giving up the big play in the passing game. Now it so happens that the weakest part of the Seahawks offense is the passing game. If the Eagles can keep Wilson in the pocket, things could get interesting. Especially since the defensive backfield has been improving over the past few weeks in general.

(g) The Eagles defense and ST have been very good at scoring; before this weekend they had scored 10 TD's, the rest of the league combined had scored 12 ST/Defensive TD's.

(h) Jacksonville was the first game of the season, and shut down in the 2nd half of the game. The Panthers and Rams scored most of their points in garbage time.


O yeah, for what it is worth, Football Outsiders has for weighted DVOA (which intends to quantify how a team is playing right now) the Eagles ranked 5th, and above Seattle (ranked 7th); Seattle ranks higher for the season as a whole.


As said before, this will be an interesting game, and probably a close game which the Seahawks could well win, without it being an upset.

And for those referring to the GB game, that was a complete team melt down (in all phases) while running into a buzz-saw of currently the best team in the league probably playing its best game of the season.

You have some valid points for sure, but we can go back and forth on which stat means more than another without really getting to a compromise. At the end of the day, the Seahawks have gotten healthy over the four weeks or so and have a +49 point differential in that span of games. During the last four for the Eagles they are a +33 differential, and ultimately lining up for a battle. I think we both like our odds as we should, and feel that this could be one of two games in which we face each other this season. Either way, can't wait!

 

[Uhsplit]

Sorry the Packer offense the Seahawks saw in week one and the one the Eagles saw a few weeks ago are not even close to being the same. The Seahawks would not want a rematch

I'm on. Let's do it in our yard.

 

[Deano]

It's gonna be fun watching Dallas get beatby Chicago too.

 

[LambeauLegs]

I'm on. Let's do it in our yard.

You have had it in your yard the last 2 times. Hopefully the Packers will win out and have home field all the way through is my guess is AZ will lose at least one more and we have the tie breaker with the Eagles. It is hard to say but I have to go for the Eagles in this one to help with the home field.

But it there is a Packer/Seahawk game in the future it is time for it to be in GB where Rodgers will be able to communicate with the O

 

[DutchBird]

Dutch, I get it.
You think the Eagles D is better than the Seahawks D.
It's ok to believe whatever you want.

Way to completely misread what I said and wrote... Well done.

 

[Podunkparte]

You have had it in your yard the last 2 times. Hopefully the Packers will win out and have home field all the way through is my guess is AZ will lose at least one more and we have the tie breaker with the Eagles. It is hard to say but I have to go for the Eagles in this one to help with the home field.

But it there is a Packer/Seahawk game in the future it is time for it to be in GB where Rodgers will be able to communicate with the O

Til the 12th Man cashes in all of its Microsoft stock and buys out Lambeau!

See, Microsoft stock is this share of a company that actually holds monetary value and allows its owner to actually own a piece of the company, unlike Packers stocks

 

[John]

How did an Eagles forum get to be a battle between Seahawks and Packers fans?

 

[old duke]

It's gonna be fun watching Dallas get beatby Chicago too.

Da'Bears have nothing to lose, and could whip them like they did last year.

 

[Mariners_44]

How did an Eagles forum get to be a battle between Seahawks and Packers fans?

Let's not get side tracked here fellas!

What value do you guy's see in Pete Carroll and his familiarity with Mark Sanchez, or vise versa? I feel like the coach gets the nod within that knowledge benefit, and unless the Eagles go full Rex Ryan on us and run the ball every play, it'll be Sanchez against the Legion of Boom at some point.

 

[Taz]

Just to add to that really quick, the Eagles D allowed these scores on their D:

Jacksonville- 17
Washington- 34
Rams- 28
Panthers- 21
Titans- 24

ALL BEING AT HOME, but yet they are gonna hold the number one rush offense in football to 13 points. Really?

Yep they just held the number 1 rusher in football and a better offense than the Seahawks to 10 points on the road, the Seattle offense is not very good right now, if they slow down Wilson and Skittles they win this game easily and quite frankly there is no reason to believe the Eagles wont slow them down. Once again the Eagles offense and special teams are head an shoulders above Seattle, while I agree that Seattle defense is better and they are they are not head and shoulders better than the Eagles. Add in the fact that teams playing on opposite coasts almost always have issues and this one is a 28-13 Eagles win. And BTW I wouldn't say the Eagles will score all of their points against the Hawks defense I think a special teams and defensive touchdown will happen in this game. And before you say it won`t The Eagles are averaging one score other than offensive for the season (since you like stats)

 

[DutchBird]

Let's not get side tracked here fellas!

What value do you guy's see in Pete Carroll and his familiarity with Mark Sanchez, or vise versa? I feel like the coach gets the nod within that knowledge benefit, and unless the Eagles go full Rex Ryan on us and run the ball every play, it'll be Sanchez against the Legion of Boom at some point.

I do not think that there is too much of an advantage of Carroll having known Sanchez, mostly because of (a) the time since elapsed, and (b) Sanchez now running a Chip Kelly offense (Carroll being somewhat familiar might be an advantage over other coaches, BTW).

It has long been clear to the league what Sanchez' strengths and weaknesses are to the rest of the league.

And yes, the Eagles are well aware it will be Sanchez against the Seahawk's secondary at some point... and it will be interesting to see how Kelly imagines he can get away with it... especially since the Seahawks have NOT seen the equivalent (in talent or skill set) of McCoy and Sproles; it will be really interesting to see how Kelly will use them...

 

[Deano]

These Sanchez rollouts are really effective. Sanchez actually seems to throw better when he's out of the pocket and he gets a clearer view. It also gets our WRs out in open space. Those WRs were wide open versus Dallas.

 

[FadeToBlack]

I think the Eagles continue to struggle in the red zone but pull it out late with a FG, 23-21. TD's by Maclin and Shady, 3 FG's for Parkey.

 

[Mariners_44]

Yep they just held the number 1 rusher in football and a better offense than the Seahawks to 10 points on the road, the Seattle offense is not very good right now, if they slow down Wilson and Skittles they win this game easily and quite frankly there is no reason to believe the Eagles wont slow them down. Once again the Eagles offense and special teams are head an shoulders above Seattle, while I agree that Seattle defense is better and they are they are not head and shoulders better than the Eagles. Add in the fact that teams playing on opposite coasts almost always have issues and this one is a 28-13 Eagles win. And BTW I wouldn't say the Eagles will score all of their points against the Hawks defense I think a special teams and defensive touchdown will happen in this game. And before you say it won`t The Eagles are averaging one score other than offensive for the season (since you like stats)

Yes, the Eagles did well against Murray and the Hawks passing game isn't lights out by any means. With that being said, the Hawks offense is based around the ground game. That isn't just one guy like the Cowboys, but rather two of the best runners in football that have combined as the #1 rush offense in football. If you can stop them then no doubt this game is to your advantage, but if the Seahawks stop the Eagles run game I think it becomes a stronger advantage due to the secondaries that either teams would be forced into. I mean, if this becomes a passing game do you really take Sanchez over Wilson?

 

[SonnyCID]

Two weeks ago I wouldn't have picked the Hawks to win this game. But a couple of things have happened since then, Kam Chancellor is now at full speed, and Wagner is back. They now have the ability to stack the box and have all of their range and speed around the LOS 'focused' on the run. Turnovers are also key, Sanchez has 9 (6 int, 3 fl).

31-21 Seattle.

 

[DutchBird]

Yes, the Eagles did well against Murray and the Hawks passing game isn't lights out by any means. With that being said, the Hawks offense is based around the ground game. That isn't just one guy like the Cowboys, but rather two of the best runners in football that have combined as the #1 rush offense in football. If you can stop them then no doubt this game is to your advantage, but if the Seahawks stop the Eagles run game I think it becomes a stronger advantage due to the secondaries that either teams would be forced into. I mean, if this becomes a passing game do you really take Sanchez over Wilson?

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.

 

[SonnyCID]

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.

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.

 

[boogiewithstu2007]

There really can be no denying how good the Seahawks defense is. I think offensively they are vastly overrated. I have gone on record and repeat my statement that I think Russell Wilson is overrated. You contain his running and make him beat you in the pocket and he is a different QB. You let him escape the pocket and he does give to fits with his running ability. I think the Eagles on defense are fast enough to keep him contained.

Defensively I am not sure what to expect. The Seahawks will not have faced an offense like ours. They may have faced teams with better talent as far as players go but the speed of this offense my wind up being too much for them. The have outstanding CB's and while our receivers are not great the way this offense is run can cause issues but to be honest I have no clue. No one really doubles any of our corners so I am not sure what game plan will be ran.

I am sure all the pundits give the Eagles no chance which may work in their favor.

Wilson is far from over-rated.... Funny still hearing people say that ....

 

[DutchBird]

Two weeks ago I wouldn't have picked the Hawks to win this game. But a couple of things have happened since then, Kam Chancellor is now at full speed, and Wagner is back. They now have the ability to stack the box and have all of their range and speed around the LOS 'focused' on the run. Turnovers are also key, Sanchez has 9 (6 int, 3 fl).

31-21 Seattle.

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...

 

[John]

Two weeks ago I wouldn't have picked the Hawks to win this game. But a couple of things have happened since then, Kam Chancellor is now at full speed, and Wagner is back. They now have the ability to stack the box and have all of their range and speed around the LOS 'focused' on the run. Turnovers are also key, Sanchez has 9 (6 int, 3 fl).

31-21 Seattle.

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