DK Metcalf schools Eagles’ man coverage, Chris Carson brings thump, Seahawks win 23-17
For one night—a potentially deceiving one against a woeful, malfunctioning foe—the 2020 Seahawks finally played as Pete Carroll absolutely wants to.
Chris Carson was back putting the thumping mentality back in Seattle’s previously Let Russ Cook offense.
DK Metcalf was again dominating an Eagles defense that stubbornly—foolishly—insisted on staying in man-to-man coverage against him.
And the Seahawks defense got pressure from the front four defensive linemen that’s been the foundation of Carroll’s defense for a decade.
Carson’s bullish, get-off-me touchdown run in the first half put Seattle up two scores. Metcalf schooled three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay in a lopsided man-on-man battle for 10 catches and a career-high 177 yards receiving. Metcalf became the NFL’s leader in yards receiver for this season with 1,039, ahead of Kansas City’s Tyreek Hill.
The defense attacked beleaguered Carson Wentz and Philadelphia’s offense with six more sacks in the Seahawks’ 23-17 victory that really wasn’t that close Monday night.
Metcalf—who else?—ended the game by securing the final onside-kick attempt by the Eagles (3-7-1) with 12 seconds left.
“It was great to have Chris Carson back,” Carroll said.
“He ran like a monster out there.”
Seattle (8-3) began the softest part of its schedule this season by capitalizing on losses by the division-rival Rams and Cardinals the day before to take a one-game lead in the NFC West with five games left in the regular season.
The Seahawks currently hold the second of seven spots in the NFC playoff standings. They lead Green Bay (also 8-3) on a strength-of-victory tie-breaker.
The Seahawks had a chronic problem of pass rushing in the first seven games, with only 12 sacks. In the four games since the team traded with Cincinnati for two-time Pro Bowl rush end Carlos Dunlap and he’s made his Seattle debut, the defense has 19 sacks.
The Seahawks dumped Wentz six times Monday night. Dunlap and tackle Jarran Reed shared one. Benson Mayowa, back off injury, had one. So did tackle Poona Ford and end Rasheem Green. Four sacks from the defensive line fits how Carroll wants to base his pressure, on the four down linemen so he doesn’t have to blitz as much as he did early this season.
Seattle still blitzed. All-Pro Jamal Adams got another sack to tie his career high for a season of 6 1/2 he set last season for the Jets. K.J. Wright got one in the fourth quarter on another blitz. Wright, Adams and middle linebacker Bobby Wagner again blitzed together at times.
But now, as opponents and quarterbacks become less lethal on the schedule, the Seahawks are finally getting pressure without blitzing. It allows the secondary to play tighter, more man coverage, partcularly with Pro Bowl cornerback Shaquill Griffin.
Seattle’s best cover man returned Monday after missing four games with a strained groin.
Griffin said the Seahawks used a lot more man-to-man coverage Monday, to rely on their surging pass rushers up front.
Six sacks of Wentz later, Griffin said: “We can count on them to get that pass rush started. That’s huge for us.
”We’re ready to make that run. We are starting to get everybody back healthy and build that chemistry.”
The schedule sets up Seattle for that annual December run.
Next up for the Seahawks is a two-game homestand against the New York Giants (4-7 and leaders of the so-weak NFC East) and Jets (0-11).
They have only one game remaining among their final five against a team with a winning record: the Rams, in Seattle Dec. 27.
So Monday night’s defensive performance may not be conclusive for the playoffs. But for now, to gain control of the division without relying exclusively on quarterback Russell Wilson throwing, this will work for Seattle.
Welcome back, Carson
Carson played for the first time in five games, since he sprained his foot Oct. 25 early in Seattle’s overtime loss at Arizona. It wasn’t that he finished with 41 yards on eight carries.
It was how he scored that is the best sign for the Seahawks’ offense from this night.
“It felt good to be out there,” Carson said.
“I missed it.”
When Carson’s agent sits down in the coming months to talk new contract with the Seahawks, he could simply flip on a video of his client plowing through four Eagles on his 17-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. His legs never stopped churning on a play that not only made it 14-0 Seahawks, it got the smash-mouth mentality back in the offense that Carroll wants.
That mentality and mashing was absent—and defenses teed off blitzing Wilson into 10 turnovers in three losses—while Carson was out with his sprained foot from Oct. 25 to Monday night.
“He brought toughness back to the offense,” Metcalf said. “Just seeing 32 running over people, carrying people 2, 3 yards is just amazing.”
Yet for all his obvious value to the offense, the Seahawks inexplicably ignored Carson when they got him back.
Fourth and goal from the 2 on Seattle’s opening drive, play caller Brian Schottenheimer had Carson in the game, even after a time out. But then he called a fly sweep to third wide receiver David Moore, who was coming off a hip injury that had Moore questionable for the game. Eagles defensive lineman Derek Barnett blew through center Ethan Pocic, who was starting for the first time in three games after a concussion, and smashed Pocic into Moore in the backfield. No points for Seattle.
Carson then yielded for most of the rest of the first quarter to Carlos Hyde, re-entering early on the second quarter for no-yards run on first down from the 1, one play before Seattle’s first touchdown.
Carson then had a hesitation jump cut from outside to inside on a 9-yard run in the third quarter. It was a move that signaled the fourth-year veteran who has yet to play an entire NFL season injury-free was all the way back healthy—and that it may be time for the Seahawks to ride him.
“I was just running,” Carson said.
“I just want to be there for the last, final five (games). ...
“I just want to be back to myself. I don’t want to have no lag in my game.”
Another Metcalf lesson
As they did the last time these teams played, when Metcalf set an NFL playoff rookie record with 160 yards receiving in Seattle’s win in the wild-card round in January, the Eagles stayed in man-to-man coverage on him.
And Metcalf again made them pay for their stubbornness.
This time it was Slay, in Philadelphia from Detroit since last season, shadowing Metcalf. Seattle’s hulking receiver bowled over and ran past Slay for seven catches on eight targets for 118 yards—in the first 1 1/2 quarters.
Metcalf kept blocking Slay well after a running play on Seattle’s first possession of the game. Incensed, Slay slapped back at Metcalf as officials arrived to see that instead of what started it. Slay got a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Metcalf then beat Slay to the middle of the field when he had no safety help early in the second quarter. Wilson’s rainbow of a pass was underthrown, causing Metcalf to slow down on his route. Instead of a touchdown, Slay got him down at the 1-yard line after a 52-yard catch.
Two plays later, 6-foot wide receiver David Moore jumped over the back of 5-9 Eagles cornerback Avonte Maddox for an easy touchdown catch of 1 yard. Wilson’s 31st touchdown throw of the season put Seattle ahead 7-0.
Metcalf drew another penalty by Slay to help set up the Seahawks’ second touchdown. It was an illegal-contact foul for Slay grabbing both of Metcalf’s shoulders as the big receiver was coming out of his break on a deep out route.
Carson ran his 17, bullish yards after that to make it 14-0.
Metcalf got up to his career high of 177 yards receiving and took that NFL lead in yards for receivers early in the fourth quarter. He beat Slay again to do it.
Metcalf caught Wilson’s 31-yard pass down the left sideline while Slay was grabbing his jersey, to the Eagles 17-yard line. Metcalf then casually flipped the ball to a sideline camera person after his 10th catch in 12 targets.
From there, right tackle Cedric Ogbuehi’s holding penalty negated a would-be touchdown run by Carlos Hyde. Metcalf made his only misplay of the night, dropping a touchdown pass while slamming onto the end-zone turf on a his back. And the Seahawks settled for Jason Myers’ 33-yard field goal for a 20-9 lead instead of 24-9.
Carroll knew the Eagles were going to say in man coverage, as their defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz did in January.
Asked if he was surprised the Eagles stayed with man through 177 yards by Metcalf, Carroll said flatly: “No.
“We don’t care what they do. ...No, I wasn’t surprised.”
Eagles convert gift
The game turned late in the second quarter, on a call that didn’t happen.
Carson Wentz got chased and turned around by Seahawks defensive end Carlos Dunlap, who continued to transform the Seahawks’ pass rush that had four more sacks Monday. Wentz frantically threw the ball away to avoid the sack. It landed out of bounds, into the arms of a Seahawks assistant coach, 3 yards short of the line of scrimmage.
The intentional-grounding rule states a passer must be out of the pocket, the “tackle box” of interior linemen, and throw the ball at or past the line of scrimmage for officials to waive intentional grounding. Yet officials waived off the obvious penalty that would have been a spot foul from where Wentz threw it back 10 yards. Instead of a 30-yard loss back across midfield, it was merely second and 10 in Seattle territory.
The Eagles then completed their only sustained drive of the first three quarters after the gift. Wentz threw 3 yards to tight end Dallas Goedert for a touchdown inside cornerback Shaquill Griffin, who was playing for the first time in five games after his strained hamstring.
That was Philadelphia’s only touchdown.
Wright rises again
K.J. Wright appeared to be trying to earn an additional year beyond his contract ending with this season—all in the fourth quarter.
The longest-tenured Seahawk leaped and batted down Wentz’s pass on fourth and 2 from midfield early in the fourth quarter with the score 17-9.
That set up Myers’ short field goal, hist second of the second half, and that 20-9 lead.
This story was originally published November 30, 2020 at 8:33 PM.
