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Playing meaningful football in December is new for the Eagles, who haven’t had a sniff of the playoffs in four years.
They’ll clinch their first NFC East pennant in four years with a win over, or a tie wtih the Seattle Seahawks Sunday night (8:30, Channel 10, WIP 94.1-FM) at CenturyLink Field. And yes, it feels great for the Eagles to be able to say that.
Criticized for a soft schedule, the Eagles can make a national statement with a win in a playoff-type atmosphere.
“That’s for sure a playoff team, no doubt about it,” Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham said. “They’ve been there. They were defending champs. A lot of the guys are still there that won that Super Bowl. And obviously their leader is Russell Wilson. We’ve got to be ready, we’ve got to hit on all cylinders, just stay motivated and go do what we’ve got to do to win this game.”
With a nine-game win streak, the Eagles (10-1) are one victory from establishing a club record. They’ve beaten four straight opponents by 23 or more points, the last three by 28 or more. Only one of those teams had a winning record, and just barely.
The Seahawks (7-4) are unlike any team the Eagles have faced, despite seasonending injuries to defensive backs Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor, pass rusher Cliff Avril and a rebuilt offensive line.
When you have a creative quarterback like Russell Wilson, who has had a hand in 26 of the Seahawks 27 offensive touchdowns this season, you always have a chance. All the losses are by eight points or less, including back-to-back defeats at home by three points.
The flip side is the Seahawks are 34-11 in November and December since 2012, the most wins in the league in that time. The Seahawks are 21-4-1 in combined Sunday, Monday and Thursday night victories since 2010. Moreover they’re 46-0 in all games when leading by four or more points at halftime, including the playoffs, since 2012.
December is the Seahawks’ fourth quarter of the season, if you will.
“We’ve kind of just made it the fabric of who we are,” Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said. “This is a great matchup we have here heading into the fourth quarter of the season. This will be emblematic of whether we’re able to find it again.”
The Eagles seem focused on the Seahawks, not the next stop on their West Coast swing, the Los Angeles Rams. That game is next Sunday, the Eagles hanging out on the left coast to train.
The teams that have beaten the Seahawks this season – the Packers, Titans, Redskins and Falcons - have followed the same script.
“They’ve had the ability to put pressure on Wilson and keep him contained, limit the big plays,” Bradham said. “And that’s what we have to do, limit the big plays. We know he’s going to extend plays, so we have to handle those situations well. The teams that have beat him have kept him under control where he doesn’t extend too many plays or make a big play. And just continue to play physical, man. It’s an intense game. Playoff environment. You couldn’t ask for more.”
The Eagles clinch a firstround playoff game with a win over the Seahawks. A loss and they’re going to be checking the scoreboard to see how the Rams (8-3), Vikings (9-2), Saints (8-3) and Panthers (8-3) did.
CenturyLink Field is considered by many the loudest venue in the entire NFL. The last time the Eagles will be able to hear themselves think is during the last bar of the national anthem. They’ve spent a chunk of the week rehearsing their silent count, which they haven’t had a lot of success with. The crowd noise can turn the widest veterans into mistake makers. Birds defensive end Chris Long and safety Malcolm Jenkins have a combined one victory in all the games they’ve played at CenturyLink.
“I don’t think I’ve won in Seattle, my whole career,” Jenkins said. “In almost every game I felt like we were in it or had a chance, and eventually they just make more plays than you. So, it’s one of those things where you’ve got to be able to start fast, you’ve got to be able to weather the storm, weather some of their punches and just keep swinging.”
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson, who rarely seems to get the credit due him, is tired of hearing about the easy path his team has been on. This GPS game will tell him exactly where the Eagles are.
“I think this is a great opportunity for our football team,” Pederson said. “I’ve heard things this week and the last couple of weeks that things have been kind of, sort of easy for us. This is the NFL, and nothing is easy. These games coming up will definitely be a benchmark for our football team. And it’s a great challenge, on the road, playoff environment against a great football team that knows how to win, and they know how to win in the fourth quarter.