Eagles vs. Seahawks score: D.K. Metcalf goes off as Seattle cruises past Philadelphia on 'MNF'

Seattle improves to 8-3 atop the NFC West, while Philly continues to slide

The Philadelphia Eagles defense came to play on Monday night against the Seattle Seahawks, keeping Week 12's NFC showdown in reach for much of the evening. D.K. Metcalf still had an illustrious performance working against Darius Slay, however, and more importantly, Doug Pederson, Carson Wentz and the Eagles' own offense sputtered once again. Russell Wilson, on the other hand, did enough to capitalize on Philly's putrid showing with the ball in its hands, helping lead Seattle to a 23-17 victory.

Monday's result marks seven straight victories for the Seahawks against the Eagles, who have yet to beat Seattle since Pete Carroll took over as head coach. It keeps the 'Hawks atop the NFC West at 8-3 and drops Philly all the way to 3-7-1 in the NFC East.

Here are some immediate takeaways from Monday night's Seahawks victory:

Why the Seahawks won

On a night where their offense was actually held in check for most of the matchup, D.K. Metcalf still found a way to dominate, getting the best of Darius Slay on nearly every big-play opportunity and helping set up each of Seattle's scoring drives. The big-bodied wideout finished with 10 catches for 177 yards, but he could've easily gone for more. Russell Wilson, meanwhile, did just enough managing the game from the pocket, picking his spots efficiently. Perhaps the even bigger reason Seattle won, though? That defense, which came in ranked among the worst in the NFL, capitalized on the Eagles' ineptitude and specifically feasted up front, getting after Carson Wentz with regularity to keep Philly off balance for most of the night.

Why the Eagles lost

Doug Pederson's "offense," with Carson Wentz as its centerpiece, barely got off the ground. Philly's "D" played so inspired for so much of Monday night's clash that, frankly, it deserved a lot more from the other side of the ball. Wentz was off-target as usual, failing to connect on open downfield looks and mis-communicating on a red-zone pick. He also got little help from the O-line, receiving corps and coaching staff, which is par for the course in 2020. All around, just an utter train-wreck, save for a few no-huddle spurts, on the offense, where Travis Fulgham was once again inexplicably absent and Miles Sanders somehow received just eight touches. The Eagles didn't just lose a game on Monday because of their offense; they intensified talks of future widespread change atop the organization.

Turning point

Fourth-and-2 for the Eagles at their own 38. Thirteen minutes left in the fourth quarter. Philly trailed by just eight points at the time, and Doug Pederson kept the offense on the field to go for it, only to watch as Carson Wentz's short pass to Richard Rodgers got batted down immediately by K.J. Wright. The turnover on downs didn't just erase the Eagles' opportunity to potentially tie the game, but it enabled Seattle to burn two more precious minutes off the clock on an ensuing scoring series of its own.

Play of the game

Metcalf is a consistent physical freak on the football field, and Monday night was no exception. No play was more impressive than his sideline grab over Slay in the fourth quarter, when he just straight-up out-leapt perfect coverage for a huge first down:

What's next

The Seahawks (8-3) will return home in Week 13, when they host the New York Giants (4-7), who may or may not have QB Daniel Jones back from injury. The Eagles (3-7-1), meanwhile, will face arguably an even taller task when they visit the Green Bay Packers (8-3), who are fresh off a rout of the Bears.

[Nov 30, 2020 at 11:22 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Seattle will remain in first place in the NFC West with this win. They have the NFL's easiest remaining schedule with a game up tap against the winless Jets. They also have the Giants, Washington, Rams and 49ers coming up. The Eagles, at 3-7-1, are still right there in the NFC East race. They have a much tougher schedule, however, with games coming up against the Packers, Saints and Cardinals.

[Nov 30, 2020 at 11:17 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

It's a shame the Eagles' impressive defensive effort was essentially wasted tonight. I think the most alarming thing was the Eagles' lack of commitment to the running game. Philadelphia gained 70 yards on just 14 carries, with Sanders gaining just 15 yards on six carries. Wentz ends the night with a stat line of 22-of-41 for 157 yards with a touchdown and a pick.

[Nov 30, 2020 at 11:08 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

Eagles defense continues to dominate up front. The Seahawks are almost definitely going to win this game, but it's not because they rolled over Jim Schwartz's unit. This one will be on Philly's offense, as is par for the course in 2020.

[Nov 30, 2020 at 11:07 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Really nice tackle by Javon Hargrave on Hyde to force a Seahawks punt. Hargrave is having arguably his best game of the year after coming over from Pittsburgh this offseason.

[Nov 30, 2020 at 11:04 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Carlos Hyde's numbers aren't big, but he's done a good job making the necessary big play while helping limit Carson's workload. Seattle as at its best last season when they were able to pair Carson with another running back. It was Rashaad Penny before his injury. It looks like Hyde has filled that spot now.

[Nov 30, 2020 at 10:59 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

https://twitter.com/MikeGarafo...

[Nov 30, 2020 at 10:55 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Not the prettiest of throws, but give Wentz credit for exposing a mismatch down the field that helped draw PI. Jordyn Brooks has been good in pass coverage this season for a rookie LB, but he was in no man's land on that DPI.

[Nov 30, 2020 at 10:49 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

Seattle sees a Carlos Hyde rushing TD erased by a holding call, and then D.K. Metcalf just barely misses a TD catch over Darius Slay. So we get another Jason Myers field goal, this time from 33, and the Seahawks now own a two-score lead. It's 20-9 with just over 11 minutes left to play. Safe to say the Eagles need a huge offensive drive right here, right now.

[Nov 30, 2020 at 10:42 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

Travis Fulgham finally gets his first target in a one-on-one matchup, picks up five. But then, on fourth-and-two, Wentz has a pass to Richard Rodgers batted at the line. Has been a steady issue all year. Now Seattle takes over in Eagles territory with a chance to put a really nice insurance score on the board.

[Nov 30, 2020 at 10:38 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

Eagles seem content to keep playing dink-and-dunk, albeit with some no-huddle. You'd think they'd be able to take a shot here or there against a secondary that's proven vulnerable on a weekly basis, but hey, with this offense, you take what you can get, we guess. As long as Philly can keep Carson Wentz in a general rhythm, there's reason for hope.

[Nov 30, 2020 at 10:38 pm ET · Bryan DeArdo]

Travis Fulgman's face is going to be on a milk carton after this game. He doesn't have a single catch tonight and has just two catches since Week 8. It's not like he's not playing; he played in 96% of the team's snaps last week. The simple answer is he's struggling to find space now that teams have more film on him.

[Dec 1, 2020 at 3:31 am ET · Bryan DeArdo]

D.K. Metcalf is dominating his matchup with Darius Slay. He has 146 yards on nine catches and 11 targets. A big reason why Wilson is 20-of-26 so far with 192 yards. The two teams are pretty even as far as running is concerned, it's Metcalf and Wilson that are the main difference in this one so far.