Seahawks Instant Reaction: A chaotic comeback beats Eagles

The Seattle Seahawks snapped a four-game losing streak in grand fashion, with usual backup quarterback Drew Lock leading a 92-yard touchdown drive in the final two minutes for a 20-17 comeback win over the Philadelphia Eagles, the defending NFC champions.

Seahawks 20, Eagles 17: Watch winning drive | Recap | Box score

Now that’s something our Seattle Sports voices can dig into.

As we do after every Seahawks game, we have enlisted the people who bring you Seattle Sports’ daily shows to share the instant reactions. Read what they have to say below, and be sure to tune in from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday for much more reaction and analysis, including The Pete Carroll Show live at 9:30 a.m. with the Hawks head coach.

• Stacy Rost – Bump and Stacy (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)

We all called a Drew Lock-led 92-yard touchdown drive to win the game for the Seahawks against the 10-win Philadelphia Eagles… right?

A pair of interceptions from safety Julian Love helped secure the win for Seattle, including his final interception which prevented any hope of a Philly game-tying field goal and sealed the win for the Seahawks.

That touchdown drive, and Love’s pick, also brought an end to a four-game losing streak by the Seahawks, the longest ever by a Pete Carroll team.

Behind Lock’s game-winning TD for Seahawks was Geno’s support

Here’s what else it did: per ESPN analytics (credit to ESPN’s Brady Henderson for pointing this out), Seattle’s playoff odds improved to 55% with Monday’s thrilling victory. With a loss, they would’ve plummeted to 16%.

Game ball goes to Lock for stepping up in place of an injured Geno Smith, but don’t overlook three critical catches on a drive that at times look like it would stall. A wacky catch by DK Metcalf to covert second-and-5, a stellar sideline catch by him again to convert third-and-10, and rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba hanging onto a beautiful 29-yard touchdown pass by the tips of his fingers.

Also over for Seattle? The toughest part of the schedule. A gauntlet that included games against the Cowboys, 49ers and Eagles saw Seattle leave with just one win. But awaiting the Hawks are three more opportunities. Win out, and you’re looking at 10-7 and a solid chance at a postseason berth.

That becomes easier with a healthier Smith and Devon Witherspoon. Keep an eye out for updates there as we head into Week 16.

• Mike Salk – Brock and Salk (6-10 a.m.)

Had it all the way, right? In a game they absolutely had to have, the Seahawks went back to what was most familiar: ugly it up, keep it close and find a way to win late in the crazy north end zone of Lumen Field. And that formula worked to perfection.

They ran it better than they had in weeks. They kept Drew Lock on a tight leash and didn’t let him take many chances. They made the right changes on defense, rewarded by Julian Love’s two game-changing interceptions. Their skill position players made the incredible happen, specifically DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba on the final drive.

Did they fix all of their issues? Probably not. Do they have a quarterback controversy? Not in my book, though I’d imagine some will say so. But they got what they needed: life. Things aren’t done yet for this Seahawks team. In true Pete Carroll fashion, they are going to compete to the very last moment. Credit where it’s due.

• Bob Stelton – Wyman and Bob (2-7 p.m.)

The Hawks found a way! To say they desperately needed this win is an understatement. Coming in having lost four in a row and five of their last six, their playoff hopes were hanging on by a thread.

Drew Lock drove the offense 92 yards on 10 plays in 1:24, and capped it off with a brilliant throw to JSN, who came up with an equally brilliant fingertip catch.

‘He deserved it’: Seahawks rally around Lock, who delivers epic game-winner

The defense with some notable changes, Woolen on the bench and Jamal Adams inactive, got off to a rough start, allowing the Eagles to take the opening drive 75 yards on 15 plays (8:29) for a TD. But after that, the Seahawks tightened things up, allowing 10 total points in the remaining three-plus quarters.

The Hawks have three games left to salvage their playoff hopes. If they can ride the momentum from this one, they look to have a very nice chance to put a run together and rewrite what looked like a sour ending to the season.

• Dave Wyman – Wyman and Bob/Seahawks Radio Network analyst

• Mike Lefko – Wyman and Bob

What a whirlwind of emotions. It’s going to be awhile before we can fully process this one.

It was not an easy night for Drew Lock, but he delivered the most clutch drive of the season when it absolutely mattered the most. There is something to be said for getting your playmakers the ball, and the Seahawks did that on the final drive by letting DK Metcalf do what he does best. The TD throw from Lock to Smith-Njigba also is indicative of why the Seahawks’ front office was so excited about Lock’s potential and why it was a big priority to re-sign him this past offseason.

Running back Kenneth Walker III was the battering ram and showed what it is so important to get a run game going. Punishing runs in the second half kept the Seahawks in the game and perhaps wore down that Eagles defense enough for that final drive to be successful.

After allowing the Eagles to march down the field (and failing to get a third-down stop) on both of their opening drives of the game, it felt like the Seahawks would not be able to stop this Philly offense. A ton of credit goes to that secondary for locking down on A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith and making it a miserable passing night for Jalen Hurts. The Eagles quarterback (who was questionable for the game due to illness) was an abysmal 17 of 31 for 143 yards and two interceptions.

It felt like the Seahawks came in with a definitive game plan on defense to not bring pressure on Hurts and let him extend plays – potentially leading to those explosive ones that beat them last week. And while it initially hurt them with some short QB runs and intermediate passes, towards the end when the Eagles needed to put together drives, it felt like that plan paid off with forced throws and poor decisions from Philly’s offense.

A lot to unpack and talk about over these next few days, but for now it’s a season-saving win for the Seahawks.

• Justin Barnes – Brock and Salk

It began with another fun round of everybody’s favorite game “Who’s Gonna Play QB?” for the Seahawks and Eagles, but it ended with the Drew Lock-led Seahawks snapping their four-game losing streak – the worst in the Pete Carroll era – on Monday Night Football for the whole world to see.

The Seahawks’ offense showed both flashes of failure and excellence at times, and it looked like they might have their first individual 100-yard rushing performance since Week 7 against the Arizona Cardinals (yes, seriously) as Kenneth Walker finished with 82 yards on the ground. But Drew Lock absolutely fared better in his second start, finishing 17 of 22 for 116 yards and one TD, and most importantly a 92 yard game-winning touchdown drive with 1:52 on the clock by connecting with his most dangerous weapons in DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba along the way.

We knew changes could be coming to the Seahawks after last week’s episode of The Pete Carroll Show when Pete said, “There’s some things we have to do, and we’ll take care of business,” adding “you’ll just have to wait and see” before shutting down the questioning from Mike Salk. But the benching of cornerback Riq Woolen in the first quarter, plus some defensive shifting with both Devon Witherspoon and Jamal Adams inactive, was the most visible of those changes.

Could more changes be on the horizon? Can this emotional win do enough to unlock some consistency? And perhaps most importantly, can both of those questions be answered in the remaining three games for the long-term future of the Seattle Seahawks?

Whatever happens, Tuesday’s Pete Carroll Show at 9:30 a.m. will be must-listen radio. Go Hawks.

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