In this strangest of NFL seasons, contenders fall and pretenders rise and pop stars watch and quarterbacks go down and nothing unfolds exactly as expected. So what happened on Monday night in Seattle, of course, made perfect sense. Which is also to say: It made no sense at all. But even then, the game was odd, unexpected and … kinda fun to watch?
Start late in the fourth quarter, with the Eagles ahead, 17–13, and seemingly in control. To say the Seahawks were driving would be a stretch. But Seattle had the ball and was pointed toward the north end zone, the one below the franchise’s beloved Hawks Nest. Weird things seem to happen in that end zone. Among them: Tony Romo’s wild-card playoff game fumble near the goal-line (2007), the Fail Mary (’12) and the improbable comeback completed against Green Bay in the NFC championship (’15).
The rain started falling heavily as hope sunk into the nearby Puget Sound. Just over a minute remained. Quarterback Drew Lock, doubted (for good reasons), discarded (same) and playing for the injured Geno Smith, took a snap and slung an attempt down field, toward the right sideline. DK Metcalf caught it, somehow, the grab so improbable that it seemed like only he knew he had secured the ball. He leapt to his feet and held the ball up as if to say, It’s OK if you want to cheer now.
