The Seattle Seahawks dominated the Philadelphia Eagles 31-14 on Thursday night, dropping the Eagles to 4-8 and removing any chance of a playoff miracle this season for the Dream Team.
The vaunted Eagles secondary, which earned wide acclaim in the offseason when they signed Nnamdi Asomugha and traded for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to play alongside Asante Samuel, was decimated by injuries and made Tavaris Jackson look like Aaron Rodgers, as he had a passer rating of 137, completing 13 of 16 passes (81 percent) for 190 yards and 1 TD. Rodgers-Cromartie was out with an ankle injury and Asomugha left the game with a neck injury.
The Seahawks also had 174 yards rushing, led by Marshawn Lynch, who had 22 carries for 148 yards and 2 TD runs of 15 yards and 40 yards in the first half. “It was all about the offensive line. We managed the game, we came out victorious, everybody’s happy,” Lynch said.
“He fights for every yard, every carry he gets,” Jackson said. “It’s like every carry is his last carry.”
Even Eagles coach Andy Reid had to give kudos to Lynch. “He was the key today to their offense,” Reid said. “And we didn’t do a very good job of stopping him.”
Golden Tate added a TD reception in the third quarter to put the Seahawks ahead 24-7, and they coasted from there.
Vince Young threw 4 interceptions in his third game in relief of Michael Vick, while passing for 208 yards and 1 TD. His last interception, late in the fourth quarter, was returned 77 yards for a touchdown by David Hawthorne.
The Eagles managed 132 yards rushing, but never got out of the blocks as the Seahawks led from wire to wire.
The Seahawks improved their record to 5-7 and second place in the NFC West, four games behind the 49ers. Next up for the Seahawks is the division rival St. Louis Rams.
The Eagles face the Miami Dolphins next, in a game in which Michael Vick is expected to return to the lineup. But with the high hopes of the season already dashed, the Eagles and Philadelphia fans everywhere will be scratching their heads for the remainder of the season, and through a long offseason.
