By Patrick Del Gaone, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
On the heels of Seattle’s improbable victory over New England in Foxboro, Russell Wilson and the 6-2-1 Seahawks are favored by 6.5 points over the Philadelphia Eagles. To this point, 79 percent of wagers have been made on the home favorite, per Vegas Insider.
With Friday’s injury reports providing a clearer picture of who will suit up, let’s dive into this matchup of NFC contenders.
Seahawks Offense vs. Eagles Defense
With Marshawn Lynch now retired, the Seahawks’ notorious rushing attack has plummeted to a measly 77 yards per game (30th in NFL). In fact, Seattle has only two runs of over 20 yards all season. They’ll get a much needed boost with starting halfback Thomas Rawls expected to return from injury against Philadelphia’s ferocious front four this week, although he's likely to be limited coming off of a cracked fibula.
Wilson’s tremendous efficiency has been on display in his first season as the prominent component in Seattle’s offense. The two-sport phenom has only ten touchdown passes, but is completing 67 percent of his passes with just two interceptions in nine games. Moreover, he’s thrown only three picks in his last 16 regular-season games.
Monstrous tight end Jimmy Graham provides a schoolyard-like safety valve for the 6’0” quarterback. Against San Francisco, Wilson didn't hesitate to unfurl an ill-advised bomb into double coverage after sensing pressure from the A-gap. Even though the single-high safety was practically standing there awaiting the ball’s arrival, Graham’s insurmountable frame allowed him to haul in the catch over both defenders without using his full vertical leap.
Chipping Graham at the line of scrimmage is one of the ways Jim Schwartz’s defense will look to slow down the Miami product, but Seattle tends to line him up in the slot to avoid contact with similarly sized linebackers and defensive ends.
The Seahawks like to use old school play action out of heavy formations after establishing the run. In Foxboro last week, Wilson hit speedy receiver Paul Richardson on a ‘Post-Cross’ concept. The run-fake attracted the front-seven to the line of scrimmage, while the safeties were forced to respect the threat of Doug Baldwin’s deep post, opening a gaping seam over the middle for an elementary pitch-and-catch. Philly’s back-seven will need to stay disciplined against the Seahawks’ crisp route-runners.
The key to an Eagles’ victory at Qwest Field will be the front four against Seattle’s mediocre hog-mollies, a matchup that plays heavily into Philly’s favor.
On the road, Schwartz’s front four hasn’t been nearly as tenacious as they have at Lincoln Financial Field. If Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Bennie Logan and the rest of the rotation can sustain pressure on Wilson, Philadelphia will have a chance to win a low-scoring affair.
Eagles Offense vs. Seahawks Defense
The Seahawks’ stingy defense is yielding just 17.6 points per game (2nd in NFL) this year. If the season ended today, it would be the highest opposition points allowed total in the last five seasons for Pete Carroll’s defense. Amazingly, his notorious defenders have led the league in points allowed each of the past four years.
Seattle’s led by its ball-hawking secondary, known as the “Legion of Boom”, consisting of three of the NFL’s premier defensive backs: Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor. They’ll face perhaps the worst group of receivers in the NFL on Sunday afternoon. In all likelihood, the Seahawks will look to stack the box as much as possible in order to combat Philadelphia’s above average rushing attack.
Carroll runs a ‘Cover 3’ zone from a 4-3 alignment with Thomas patrolling the deep middle of the field. Like the Eagles, Seattle is able to send four rushers after the quarterback as they sit back with seven defenders in coverage. Defensive end Michael Bennett, one of the most feared rushers in the NFL, will miss Sunday’s game after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery two weeks ago.
The Seahawks have altered some of their foundational concepts in 2016. For one, they’re beginning to mix in more man-coverage in order to keep witty NFL signal-callers from diagnosing the coverage with pre-snap reads. Additionally, Sherman has been moving around the field more often as opposed to staying strictly at the left cornerback spot. Look for Sherman to follow Jordan Matthews around the field for much of the day, assuming Matthews (back spasms) is well enough to play.
Matchup to Watch: Eagles DL vs. Seahawks OL
Player of the Game: Russell Wilson
Prediction: Seahawks win 16-9
