There are a lot of “firsts” happening for the Seattle Seahawks and head coach Pete Carroll this season. Last week, the Seahawks lost their fourth-straight game for the first time under Carroll. It was also the first time they’ve lost five-straight total games to the San Francisco 49ers.
But tonight, another key “first” was avoided. The Seahawks have never lost to the Philadelphia Eagles under Pete Carroll, and that record remains untarnished. The Seahawks upset Philadelphia 20-17 on Monday Night Football to improve to 7-7 on the year, keeping their playoff hopes alive.
Carroll has not lost to Philadelphia since December 19th, 1999. He was head coach of the New England Patriots at the time.
Things started rocky for Seattle. The Eagles slowly marched to a 10-0 lead in the first half, completely suffocating time of possession. Two drives, both nearly nine minutes long, left little time for Drew Lock – pressed into starting service last second – to do much of anything.
The Seahawks offense did manage a field goal before halftime, and to start the third quarter their opening drive resulted in a touchdown to tie the game 10-10. Regrettably, the defense immediately allowed the Eagles to find the end zone. But that’s all she wrote for the Birds.
Seattle’s defense clamped down, not allowing Philly to score one more point. Coming up huge for them was safety Julian Love, starting in the place of Jamal Adams. An interception in the end zone gave the Seahawks new life trailing 17-13 with a little over eight minutes left in the game.
Seattle’s offense went three-and-out, and the ball was back to Philly. But another incredible stop on third down gave Drew Lock and Co. one last chance. One was all they needed.
Down four points with 1:52 left in the game and only one time out, Lock marched the Seahawks 92 yards on 10 plays to give them a touchdown. Lock found DK Metcalf for a massive gain, then later, striking Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 29-yard game-winning touchdown.
With Philadelphia down 20-17 with less than 30 seconds left, they were on desperation mode. But it was cut short when Julian Love intercepted Hurts for the second time of the night to call game.
The Seahawks have new life. There is still a long ways to go to make the playoffs, and they’ll need help along the way. But with three winnable games left on the schedule – Tennessee, Pittsburgh, and Arizona – the playoffs are attainable for Seattle.
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