Monday Night Football Week 15 Preview
Philadelphia Eagles (10-3) vs. Seattle Seahawks (6-7)
- Spread: Eagles -3
- Over/Under: 45
Breakdown
The big news heading into this game is the availability of the Eagles’ quarterback, Jalen Hurts. Hurts is listed as questionable with an illness and seems like a game-time decision. Marcus Mariota is the backup quarterback and will get the start if Hurts is out. Hurts has had an excellent season, passing for 3,192 yards, 19 passing touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Thanks to the tush push he has added on another 12 rushing touchdowns. It would be a massive loss to the team if he could not suit up. The pass catchers would be the most impacted of course. A.J. Brown has had a great season catching passes from Hurts, bringing in 90 receptions, 1,258 yards, and 7 touchdowns. His wide receiver counterpart, Devonta Smith, has been pretty solid himself, hauling in 69 catches for 907 yards, and 6 touchdowns. Smith and Brown are one of the best wide receiver duos in the league and are a huge reason for the success of the offense this season. Tight end Dallas Goedert has missed some time with injury but is an effective pass catcher and utilizing him in the offense will help this offense move the ball even better. D’Andre Swift has been held under 40 rush yards his past 2 games but, he has been solid this season. Swift isn’t necessarily a volume rusher, he only has 5 games this season with 70 or more rush yards, but he has been effective in the passing game. Getting him more involved will be vital if the Eagles want to figure out this two-game losing streak they are on right now and right the ship before the end of the season and the playoffs.
The Seahawks have quarterback questions of their own. Starting quarterback Geno Smith missed the last game with a groin injury and is questionable to play in this matchup. The groin injury will limit Smith’s mobility so there is a chance we see backup quarterback Drew Lock. Smith has regressed this season since his outlier season last year, passing for 2,918 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions in 12 games. The running back tandem of Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet has been a very strong point of the offense. Walker has missed 2 games this season but has been good in his role, rushing for 634 yards and 6 touchdowns. Charbonnet is a rookie whose role has changed as the season has progressed. He’s getting more involved and is having pretty solid numbers, rushing for 40 or more yards in 6 of the last 7 games. DK Metcalf has had his ups and downs this season but is starting to put it all together. DK is on pace for another 1,000-yard season, he currently has 864 yards and 7 touchdowns. Just two weeks ago he had a 134-yard game with 3 scores against the Cowboys. Tyler Lockett is having a decent season, bringing in 65 catches for 711 yards and 4 scores. Rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba has shown flashes and will continue to carve out a bigger role in the last few weeks.
Keys To Victory
Eagles Offense: The Run Game. Whether it’s Hurts, Swift, or Gainwell, the Eagles need to control the ground game in this matchup. Especially with a sick Hurts under center, or with Mariota being thrown into action. The Eagles run game has not been as effective as it usually is in its last two games and they’ve lost both. Getting that aspect of their offense back on track will lead to a much more effective offense and a win in this matchup.
Seahawks Offense: Get the wide receivers involved. DK Metcalf, Lockett, and Smith-Njigba are all very good players who need to get the ball in space in this matchup. The Eagles run defense has been very stout all season but the secondary has been prone to giving up yards to the pass catchers.
Prop Bet Pick
D’Andre Swift Over 2.5 Receptions (+112)
Swift is right around 2 receptions in just about every game. He has hit over 2 catches in 6 games and has at least 1 catch in every single game except one. With Hurts potentially playing with an illness or it could be Mariota, I believe many plays around the line of scrimmage are possible and Swift should see a few targets because of this.
DFS Picks
Eagles Offense: Dallas Goedert. Goedert is the least costly of any of the main pass-catching options. The other less costly options like Gainwell, Zaccheaus, and Watkins I just don’t believe will be involved enough, while Goedert should see plenty of snaps. He has been on the field for 77% or more of snaps in every game he’s played this season.
Seahawks Offense: Tyler Lockett. Lockett has been average this season but in what is a must-win team for this Seahawks team that has lost 4 straight games, they need to make it a point to give the ball to old reliable Tyler Lockett. The Eagles struggle to cover wideouts and the Seahawks could be trailing in this game, leading to more pass attempts.
