The Seattle Seahawks kept their playoff hopes alive thanks a come-from-behind win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, 20-17.
Trailing 17-13 after the two minute warning, Drew Lock -- who started in place of the active but still hobbled Geno Smith -- orchestrated a 10-play, 92-yard game-winning drive that was capped off with a 29-yard touchdown pass to rookie wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Prior to the score, Lock was able to complete another chunk play to fellow receiver DK Metcalf, which flipped the field with a 34-yard gain with just under a minute to play. The Eagles re-gained possession with just under 30 seconds remaining, but Seattle defensive back Julian Love was able to pick off Jalen Hurts for the second time of the evening to extinguish a possible game-winning drive for Philadelphia.
This win moves the Seahawks -- who entered this game as the No. 9 seed in the NFC -- to 7-7 on the season and into the No. 8 spot -- just outside the playoffs. As for Philadelphia, this loss pushes it to 10-4 on the season. It is currently in second place in the NFC East and the No. 5 seed in the conference.
Lock was 22 of 33 passing for 208 yards and that game-winning touchdown. It marked his first victory as an NFL starter since Dec. 13, 2020.
Metcalf -- who truly came alive on the final drive -- caught five of his six targets for 78 yards, a team high. Smith-Njigba caught all four of his targets for 48 yards and the game-winner. Meanwhile, Hurts was 17 of 31 through the air for 143 yards and two interceptions. He rushed for 82 yards and two touchdowns.
From here, the Eagles will head back to Philadelphia where they'll host the New York Giants on Christmas Day. As for the Seahawks, they'll be in Nashville on Christmas Eve for a matchup against the Tennessee Titans.
The Seahawks didn't get much going offensively until the final possession, as Lock led them down the field on a 10-play, 92-yard drive in just 1:24. Lock was 5 of 10 for 92 yards and a touchdown on the final drive, finding Smith-Njigba for a 29-yard touchdown with 28 seconds left. The Seahawks had just 116 passing yards before the final drive, as Lock was 17 of 23 for 16 yards and no touchdowns. On the final drive, Lock went 2 of 2 for 63 yards on throws of 25-plus air yards on the final drive. The Seahawks found a way to steal a victory at home against a defense that basically shut them down for 58 minutes.
Two turnovers in the fourth quarter doomed the Eagles -- both questionable decisions by Hurts. With a 17-13 lead and 8:15 left, Hurts threw a bomb to Quez Watkins on first-and-10 that was intercepted in the end zone. Watkins was held a bit by Julian Love, but he didn't fight for the ball, which was underthrown. The second interception was another deep ball with the Eagles down three in the final seconds, even though Hurts only need 15-20 yards to set up Jake Elliott for the potential game-tying field goal. Hurts was battling the flu, but his decision-making in the fourth quarter was questionable at best -- especially with the lead. The offense as a whole couldn't get out of its own way.
Hurts' throw to Watkins in the back of the end zone was picked off with the Eagles driving to midfield and holding a 17-13 lead in the fourth quarter. After Seattle hit a field goal to cut it to 17-13, the Eagles got 30 yards on their first three plays of the ensuing drive before Hurts decided to go deep to Watkins on first-and-10.
The ball was underthrown, Love tugged Watkins, and Watkins didn't sell the hold nor fight for the ball. The play was a disaster when the Eagles needed points to stop Seattle's momentum.
Lock's game-winning touchdown pass to Smith-Njigba was on the money. Lock hit Smith-Njigba for a 29-yard touchdown with 33 seconds left on third-and-10, as the rookie standout beat James Bradberry down the right sideline for the score.
The Eagles had no secondary help with Bradberry, but it didn't matter. Lock's pass to Smith-Njigba was his best throw of the night.
"It's so hard to describe the feeling of not playing for so long. At least it feels like a really long time to me. And then you sit there, you watch games, and wonder, 'Can I do this still?' I haven't been out there on the field. That's the human nature of it. You get back out there last week and you find, 'You know what, I'm the man still. I can still do this.'
"You get another test this week where I'm not sure if I was gonna play or not. Sure enough, I ended up playing. The boys rallied around me tonight. It's just got you, it feels so good. I'm so proud of everybody." -- an emotional Lock to ESPN's Lisa Salters on the feeling of not playing and then helping a team win.
The Eagles (10-4) host the Giants (5-9) on Christmas Day while the Seahawks (7-7) travel to face the Titans (5-9) on Sunday.
Just a remarkable turn of events that has now turned the NFC playoff picture on its head. Philly now moves to second place in the NFC East and is currently the No. 5 seed. Meanwhile, Seattle moves to the No. 8 seed and is knotted up record-wise with the Vikings (No. 6 seed) and Rams (No. 7 seed) at 7-7. They are very much alive.
Drew Lock's last win as a starter was Dec. 13, 2020.
The Eagles can kiss the No. 1 seed goodbye. They may kiss the No. 2 seed goodbye too.
Even if they do win the NFC East (if they can win out), how far does anyone think this team is going in the playoffs?
The go-ahead TD to JSN
The Eagles are just moving the deck chairs on the Titanic. That 29-yard TD pass to Jaxson Smith-Njigba showcases the defensive problems the team had all year. Sean Desai was the fall guy though. This Eagles team can't get out of its own way.
The last two catches I don't know how D.K. Metcalf caught them.
DK Metcalf is putting Seattle on his back! He just hauled in a 34-yard reception to put them in Philadelphia territory.
Still bizarre to me Jalen Hurts doesn't step up in the pocket as much as he did last year.
Just fades out like in 2021 or makes too quick of a decision and doesn't let it progress.
It would be nice if the offense could get out of their own way and help the defense out.
The Eagles defense has allowed 10 points, 207 yards, and 4.3 yards per play.
This is good enough to win.
Even worse, Quez Watkins looked like he was held by Julian Love before Love picked off Jalen Hurts. Just bad things happen.
Poor ball by Jalen Hurts, but that deep ball wasn't necessary. Bad things happen when Quez Watkins is targeted. Another turnover for Hurts. 16th this year.
Oh boy. Hurts gambled on a deep ball to Watkins and was picked off by Love in the end zone. The first takeaway of the game.
Even Nick Sirianni can't believe Pete Carroll called timeout!
Pete Carroll didn't do his team any favors there. Lock was able to get the ball off in time, got spooked, and still called the timeout. Not only did they burn one, but it allowed Sirianni to challenge the prior play, which was a sack. Brutal.
Jalen Carter with the play of the day for the defense so far. Should have been a sack. Just beat the right guard and forced the pressure.
Seattle called timeout, which allowed Nick Sirianni to challenge it. What a moronic move by Pete Carroll.
Nick Sirianni didn't agree with the James Bradberry PI, but that is a penalty.
Brutal time for a DPI. Bradberry gets flagged for a penalty on Metcalf on fourth-and-2. The ball moves just outside the 25-yard line.
The Eagles ability to tackle is a major concern. Sydney brown has missed a few tackles. Shaq Leonard has been out of position and Nicholas Morrow is still struggling. Not ideal.
Kenneth Walker has been slippery tonight. He seems to squeeze through the tiniest of windows for big gains. The second-year back has been impressive tonight.
As the broadcast noted, Hurts missed a wide-open Smith over the middle of the field. He opted for a deep shot to A.J. Brown on third-and-8 that fell incomplete.
Good news for Lane Johnson. Jogged off the field and looked fine on the sideline. And now he comes right back in.
Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson got rolled up on during that first down run by Swift. He's down on the field in pain.
The Eagles get home on third down as Graham and Cox zero in on Lock for the third sack. Allows the offense to get back onto the field to carry the momentum after roughly 90 seconds of game time.
Jalen Hurts has tied Jack Kemp for 5th in #NFL history for rushing TD by a QB (40).
Only the 6th QB in league history to have 40 rush TD for a career.
Steve Young is next up with 43.
MVP-caliber response by Hurts to lead Philadelphia on a touchdown drive to break the tie. He had a couple of money throws, including a 17-yard pass to DaVonta Smith to put them in the red zone while rolling to this right. Caps it off with his second rushing touchdown of the night.
Jalen Hurts has tied Cam Newton for the most TD runs in a season by a QB in NFL history (14). That's 27 rushing TD in the last 2 seasons.
