Field Level Media
Jan 5, 2020
Russell Wilson completed 18 of 30 passes for 325 yards and a touchdown, and Marshawn Lynch scored on a 5-yard run as the Seattle Seahawks advanced in the NFC playoffs with a 17-9 victory against the host Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in a wild-card game.
Rookie DK Metcalf made seven receptions for 160 yards -- including a 36-yard catch for the game-sealing first down -- and a touchdown for Seattle (12-5), which improved to 8-1 on the road this season. The Seahawks will travel to Green Bay to meet the Packers next Sunday in the NFC's divisional round.
"We are road warriors," Wilson said on the NBC broadcast afterward. "There's no doubt in us. We've got to stay the course."
The injury-riddled Eagles (9-8) suffered another blow when quarterback Carson Wentz, who was making his playoff debut, left the game in the first quarter with a head injury and didn't return.
Wentz, who missed the team's run to the Super Bowl title two years ago and to the divisional round last season because of injuries, was knocked out after being hit in the back of the helmet by Seattle's Jadeveon Clowney while falling to the turf. Wentz was 1 of 4 for 3 yards before being hurt.
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said afterward he didn't see the hit and didn't have a comment on it, but said he felt bad for Wentz.
"I wanted this for him," Pederson said. "A lot of his teammates did, too. He has battled through a lot."
Josh McCown, 40, who attempted just five passes in the regular season, replaced Wentz and was 18 of 24 for 174 yards, taking six sacks. Teammate Miles Sanders rushed for 69 yards on 14 carries.
McCown drove the Eagles to the Seattle 10-yard line at the 2-minute warning in the fourth quarter, but he was sacked by Clowney on a fourth-and-7 play. The Seahawks also stopped the Eagles on fourth down the previous drive, when a pass went off Sanders' hands on fourth-and-4.
The Seahawks broke a 3-3 tie on Lynch's touchdown run with 1:06 left in the first half. That capped a nine-play, 82-yard drive directed by Wilson that took just 1:47.
Lynch, who came out of retirement to sign with the Seahawks before the regular-season finale after Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny and C.J. Prosise suffered season-ending injuries in a three week span, carried six times for 7 yards. Wilson led Seattle with 45 yards rushing on nine carries.
McCown drove the Eagles to first-and-goal at the 5 on their first possession of the second half, but a delay-of-game penalty and a bobbled snap proved costly. They had to settle for a 26-yard field goal from Jake Elliott to cut Seattle's lead to 10-6.
Wilson hit Metcalf with a 53-yard scoring strike on the Seahawks' next possession to make it 17-6.
Elliott kicked his third field goal, a 38-yarder, with 2:49 left in the third quarter to pull the Eagles within 17-9.
--Field Level Media