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.
Why the Seahawks won
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.
Why the Eagles lost
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.
Turning point
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.
Play of the game
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.
The quote
"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.
Up next
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.