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The NFL schedule release always creates the same annual ritual. That's especially true among the Philadelphia Eagles contingent. Fans scan their calendar and circle the obvious marquee matchups. They begin debating win-loss records and scribbling Ws and Ls next to games.
Sure, every contest is important in an 18-week, 17-game grind, but there are absolutely those games that feel bigger than the rest. Some games carry extra emotional baggage. Who teams play is just as important as when they play them, and an Eagles Week 15 home showdown against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks certainly qualifies as must-see television.
Philadelphia entered last season as the defending Super Bowl champions, even if no one inside the building seemed particularly interested in embracing the phrase 'title defense.' That season ended painfully, however, with an ugly Wild Card loss to the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field. Less than a month later, the Seahawks were hoisting the Lombardi Trophy after capturing their second championship in franchise history.
Now, the champs are headed to Philadelphia for what could be one of the NFC's most important late-season games. That alone would make this matchup compelling, but there's the far more uncomfortable subplot. The Eagles simply have not solved Seattle in what feels like forever. The Seahawks lead the all-time series 13-7. More frustratingly, Philadelphia has lost eight straight meetings. The last Eagles victory over Seattle came on November 2, 2008, which feels absurd when stated out loud. Entire NFL careers have begun and ended since then. At some point, weird trends stop feeling random.
So, a major litmus test arrives in December. Seattle represents one of the eight playoff teams Philadelphia will face this season, so this is not exactly a forgiving schedule. The Seahawks remain talented, physical, and dangerous, even if the game being played at Lincoln Financial Field gives the Eagles a theoretical edge.
Still, history has not exactly respected home-field advantage in this rivalry. If Philadelphia wants to be taken seriously as a Super Bowl contender again, beating elite opponents matters. Ending bizarre curses is an added benefit, because if the Eagles drop a ninth straight to Seattle, Eagles fans may officially classify this rivalry as supernatural.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Seahawks continue haunting Eagles ahead of Week 15 clash
Continue reading...
Sure, every contest is important in an 18-week, 17-game grind, but there are absolutely those games that feel bigger than the rest. Some games carry extra emotional baggage. Who teams play is just as important as when they play them, and an Eagles Week 15 home showdown against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks certainly qualifies as must-see television.
The Eagles have a very real Seahawks problem
Philadelphia entered last season as the defending Super Bowl champions, even if no one inside the building seemed particularly interested in embracing the phrase 'title defense.' That season ended painfully, however, with an ugly Wild Card loss to the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field. Less than a month later, the Seahawks were hoisting the Lombardi Trophy after capturing their second championship in franchise history.
Now, the champs are headed to Philadelphia for what could be one of the NFC's most important late-season games. That alone would make this matchup compelling, but there's the far more uncomfortable subplot. The Eagles simply have not solved Seattle in what feels like forever. The Seahawks lead the all-time series 13-7. More frustratingly, Philadelphia has lost eight straight meetings. The last Eagles victory over Seattle came on November 2, 2008, which feels absurd when stated out loud. Entire NFL careers have begun and ended since then. At some point, weird trends stop feeling random.
So, a major litmus test arrives in December. Seattle represents one of the eight playoff teams Philadelphia will face this season, so this is not exactly a forgiving schedule. The Seahawks remain talented, physical, and dangerous, even if the game being played at Lincoln Financial Field gives the Eagles a theoretical edge.
Still, history has not exactly respected home-field advantage in this rivalry. If Philadelphia wants to be taken seriously as a Super Bowl contender again, beating elite opponents matters. Ending bizarre curses is an added benefit, because if the Eagles drop a ninth straight to Seattle, Eagles fans may officially classify this rivalry as supernatural.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Seahawks continue haunting Eagles ahead of Week 15 clash
Continue reading...
