Eagles vs. Seahawks Week 15 Game Preview: Storylines, odds and official prediction

The Philadelphia Eagles will take on the Seattle Seahawks Monday night at Lumen Field in Seattle.

Both teams find themselves in a rut heading into Week 15. Philadelphia has lost two straight games by a combined score of 75-32. Granted, it was against two of the best teams in the NFL, but the losses still took a toll on the vibes surrounding the team. They need a big bounce back win in Seattle to get the city back on board.

As for the Seahawks, they’re in the midst of a four-game losing streak after starting 6-3. They have playmakers on both sides of the ball, but with a slew of injuries to key players, including QB Geno Smith, the team has come back to reality and will essentially need to win out to make the postseason.

Let’s take a look at the big storylines entering this week’s contest.

Latest injury news

Both the Eagles and Seahawks are dealing with some notable injuries heading into Week 15.

For Philadelphia, they’ll be without CB Darius Slay, LB Zach Cunningham, and RG Gam Jurgens. It’s been reported that rookie corner Kelee Ringo will start in Slay’s place. He’s only played a total of 23 defensive snaps this season and has been targeted just once. On that target, he allowed a 39-yard reception.

In Cunningham’s place, we’ll see newly acquired Shaq Leonard, who saw his first game action as an Eagles last week in Dallas. He played sparingly in that matchup, logging just 14 defensive snaps. He managed to tally two tackles while on the field.

Then we have Jurgens, who will be replaced by veteran guard Sua Opeta. Opeta has done a fine job when filling in for Jurgens throughout the year.

To top things off, we also don’t know for certain if Jalen Hurts will play. He reportedly has an illness that’s been lingering around since Friday night. The illness worsened overnight from Saturday to Sunday, forcing the Eagles to downgrade his status for Monday’s game to questionable. Most pundits and fans are still expecting Hurts to play, considering the magnitude of this game and the implications it could have on seeding in the NFC playoff picture. Nevertheless, it’s a less than ideal circumstance.

For Seattle, they could be without their quarterback too for the second straight week. Geno Smith will be a game-time decision, according to reports, and there’s “a real chance” Drew Locke will have to be the man under center. In total, the Seahawks ruled four more players questionable for Monday’s game: CB Devon Witherspoon, S Jamal Adams, special teams ace Nick Bellore, and WR D’Wayne Eskridge.

Eagles make a defensive coaching change ahead of Week 15

As many of you saw on Sunday, the Eagles made a pretty shocking coaching change this week. On Sunday, it was reported by multiple sources that defensive coordinator Sean Desai will no longer call the defensive plays; that job will now belong to senior defensive assistant Matt Patricia. Desai will be relegated to the box, while Patricia roams the sidelines as the unofficial new defensive coordinator.

Apparently, this move happened pretty early in their preparation for this week’s game. Desai has been absent from team meetings, and according to our friends over at Crossing Broad who received a tip before the news broke on Sunday, the Eagles are actually trying to force Desai’s resignation, for two main reasons. One, his defense has been a complete dumpster fire this year, especially as of late. Since Week 8, here’s where the Eagles rank defensively in every major category:

• PPG allowed — 30.0 (31st)
• Sack rate — 5.1% (31st)
• YPG allowed — 428.2 (32nd)
• Pass YPG allowed — 297.8 (32nd in NFL)
• 3rd down defense — 54.8% (32nd)
• Red zone defense — 78.3% (32nd)

Those numbers are embarrassing, there’s simply no other way to frame it. Even for a first-time defensive coordinator, it’s unacceptable. I know the defensive personnel isn’t what it was last season when they were top-10 in nearly every category, but it’s not like they lost every single good player on that defense. They’ve underperformed dramatically and ultimately that will fall on the coordinator.

Finally, the second reason the team is reportedly trying to force Desai out is to try and save face and not pay him for the final four years of his deal.

It’s impossible to know whether or not it’s true, and you’re welcome to take it however you want. But the fact of the matter is, the team felt like it was time to make a move. And they made it to try and save their season. I can’t knock them for that.

Odds

TEAM	SPREAD	MONEYLINE	TOTAL
Eagles	-3 (-112)	-162	O 45 (-110)
Seahawks	+3 (-108)	+136	U 45 (-110)

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Official Prediction

I’ll admit, the vibes around the Eagles are pretty awful right now, so it’s hard to say anything positive with confidence. Nevertheless, this one feels like a win, for a few reasons.

One, despite the injuries to key positions, I think the injection of some youth can actually be a positive thing. Sometimes, having young guys out there under the bright lights can add an extra level of energy for a team. It also forces the rest of the defense to be on their A games and for the coaching staff to scheme/strategize more than they typically would with every starter in the lineup.

The same can be said for Patricia now being the defensive play caller. Every now and again, you just need to shake things up. Not only does it bring some much needed energy to the room, it adds some urgency. This team desperately needs that, especially after getting blown out in back-to-back weeks.

Now, if Jalen Hurts can’t go, that’s a whole other issue and obviously not a positive. But like I said earlier, I don’t think he’ll sit this one out.

I’m taking the Eagles in this one, 27-13.