The Seattle Seahawks shocked the Philadelphia Eagles, snapping their four-game losing streak with a 20-17 victory on a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.
Seattle desperately needed a victory, and after forcing a punt from the Eagles, quarterback Drew Lock, getting his second straight start for the injured Geno Smith, had 1:52 to go 92 yards to win it.
What ensued was the longest touchdown drive of the Seahawks season – one they desperately needed to stay in the playoff race.
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Julian Love #20 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates with teammates after an interception in the fourth quarter at Lumen Field on December 18, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
There were moments where the Eagles’ defense could’ve picked Lock off, but Lock made them pay when he delivered a beautiful ball down the right sideline to D.K. Metcalf, where he snagged it over two defenders for a 34-yard completion on third-and-10 that put the Seahawks in Eagles territory.
A few plays later, Lock once again delivered a ball down the right sideline to rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 29-yard touchdown that gave the Seahawks a 20-17 lead.
With 28 seconds still left in the game, and the Eagles owning three timeouts, Jalen Hurts had a chance to get Jake Elliott in field goal range to send the game to overtime.
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But safety Julian Love, who already had an interception on a deep ball earlier in the second half, sprinted across the field on a pass intended for A.J. Brown and made an outstanding pick, where he somehow kept both feet in bounds.
That would’ve given Elliott more than enough yards to make a field goal. Instead, it gave the Seahawks a much-needed win.
Seattle improved to 7-7 on the year, snapping that four-game skid, while the Eagles remain in their own three-game rut. Philadelphia is now 10-4 on the year.
Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs for a touchdown in the first quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on December 18, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
It was an interesting quarterback situation for both teams, to say the least, heading into this Monday night matchup.
Jalen Hurts traveled separately from his Eagles teammates due to flu-like symptoms getting worse on Sunday, per an ESPN report. Then, while Drew Lock was getting first-team reps all week for the Seahawks, Geno Smith worked out pre-game and was active.
However, it was Lock that eventually started this game.
While Hurts did suit up for his squad, it was unknown how he would play considering his sickness. But, like we’ve seen from others in professional sports, a “flu game” sometimes can bring out some pretty solid play.
That’s what the theme appeared to be for the Eagles on its first drive of the game, where Hurts orchestrated a 15-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that was capped by him diving over the goal line on a designed run for the first six points of the contest.
It was the 13th rushing touchdown for Hurts, and where most of them have come from the “Brotherly Shove” this season, this was a three-yard sprint to the left side of the end zone.
Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks to pass in the first half at Lumen Field on December 18, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
But don’t worry, the Eagles brought out their signature play later in the game.
In the third quarter, D’Andre Swift tripped over center Jason Kelce to land at the one-yard line, and everyone at Lumen Field knew what call was coming next. Hurts was shoved over the goal line for another rushing touchdown.
Earlier in the first half, the Eagles looked like they were going to push Hurts again, but Kelce was called for a false start after moving the ball forward from its spot at the line of scrimmage. That led to a Jake Elliott field goal instead after the Eagles couldn’t convert on third down.
Despite the Eagles owning most of the time of possession to start this game, a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive changed all that in the second half.
After forcing a three-and-out on the Eagles, the Seahawks got the ball right back and finally got momentum going their way. A lot of that had to do with running back Kenneth Walker III.
The Seahawks went to their veteran back, who ran and caught his way down the field, touching the ball on five of the nine plays, including the 23-yard rush for the score. It was Walker’s first rushing touchdown since Week 6 this season.
Drew Lock #2 of the Seattle Seahawks looks to pass in the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lumen Field on December 18, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
With the Eagles holding a touchdown lead, the Seahawks were moving the ball well in the fourth quarter with hopes of tying the game when an interesting situation came on third-and-2 from the Philadelphia 18-yard line.
Lock was hit by Jalen Carter, but it appeared that he got a pass out to Walker that went incomplete. Head coach Pete Carroll decided to go for it on fourth-and-2, but with the play clock nearing zero, he called a timeout.
In the moment, Carroll may not have felt Lock was getting the snap off in time, but it seemed like there were going to get the play off.
With the timeout coming, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was made aware that Lock was actually sacked by Carter, as he didn’t get the ball off to Walker before his knee was down.
Because of that, the Seahawks had to kick a 43-yard field goal from Jason Myers to make it a 17-13 game. If Carroll doesn’t call the timeout, who knows if the Seahawks have to sweat out the remainder of the game the way they did.
But a victory is a victory, and they’re not complaining about how a win came their way.
Looking at the box score, Lock finished 22-of-33 for 208 yards with his touchdown pass on a solid night, while Walker had 86 yards rushing on 19 carries with his own score.
Metcalf was the Seahawks’ leading receiver, hauling in five catches for 78 yards, but none bigger than that 34-yarder to set up the touchdown pass.
Drew Lock #2 of the Seattle Seahawks looks to pass in the second half at Lumen Field on December 18, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)
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For the Eagles, Hurts was 17-of-31 for 143 yards with no touchdown passes and two interceptions. He did have his two rushing scores with 82 yards on the ground to lead Philadelphia.
