A couple of NFC heavyweights in the midst of playoff runs will face-off this Sunday. Each team won important divisional road games on Thanksgiving, and will look to build on two-game win streaks. The Philadelphia Eagles (9-3) will host the Seattle Seahawks (8-4) at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Seahawks defense tends to get a lot of the credit for the team’s performance, but the efforts of Russell Wilson and his ability to make plays cannot be overlooked. This season Wilson leads the league in time holding onto the ball; he has averaged 3.16 seconds before throwing, being sacked, or scrambling. His mobility in the pocket has been a strongpoint in his career up to this point; so getting pressure on him will be key for the Eagles.
Wilson has ran the ball 22 times on his 187 pressured drop-backs and once fewer on the 227 drop-backs that he was not under pressure. The big difference, though, is the productivity of those runs. When he wasn’t under pressure he has ran for 1,521 yards, and when he was under pressure he has accumulated 945 yards. Thus, getting pressure on Wilson may be the key to not only limiting his passing efficiency (completion percentage falls from 72.8 to 49.6), but also limiting his ability to hurt the Eagles on the ground.
Connor Barwin and Trent Cole have been leaders on the team and in league in Pass Rush Productivity. They have combined 21 sacks and 88 total pressures on the year. They rank third and seventh in the league in Pass Rush Productivity, respectively.
Seattle Seahawks
Russell Okung – Among the 53 offensive tackles to see at least 300 snaps in pass protection so far this season, Okung’s is one of three yet to allow a sack (Andrew Witworth, Lane Johnson).
Earl Thomas – He has allowed a reception by a receiver in his coverage zone once in every 45.3 snaps he was in coverage this season; second-best in the league.
Kam Chancellor – Chancellor has turned up his performance in the last two games combining for +6.6 overall. Prior to those games he had accumulated an overall rating of -1.6.
Philadelphia Eagles
Evan Mathis – Since Mathis has returned to the starting lineup in Week 10 he has been the league’s best guard, especially in run blocking where he has built up a +10.0.
Brandon Graham – Although Graham has been playing in a limited role, he is currently third on the team in total quarterback pressures.
Jeremy Maclin – There have been 71 catchable passes that have been thrown Maclin’s way, and all 71 have been caught. He is the only wide receiver out of the 50 who've seen at least 47 catchable targets to go drop-less to this point.
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