Les Bowen's Eagles-Seahawks pick
If they beat the defending Super Bowl champs and Les Bowen thinks they can it will be the Eagles biggest win of the year.
THE PICK
This will be the Eagles' biggest win of the season, if they can pull it off, and I think they can.
Seattle, after scuffling a little there for a while, is healthier now, and back to being really, really good. But the Seahawks are 3-3 on the road, 2-2 outside their time zone. And as good as Marshawn Lynch is, the run is what the Eagles' defense does best. Even without DeMeco Ryans, they would much rather you run at them than go deep against Bradley Fletcher and Cary Williams all day. I'll be surprised if Seattle churns out a whole bunch of points.
And while we've seen good defenses shut down the Eagles' offense a few times, we haven't seen it lately. Like Seattle, the Eagles are healthier and better now than they were in October. If the Seahawks can really dominate a healthy Eagles offensive line, more power to 'em, but I don't think this will look like, say, the Eagles' loss at San Francisco.
The Eagles haven't lost at home this season. On the other hand, they've never won under Chip Kelly when scoring fewer than 24 points, and I think they might have to find a way to do that Sunday. But I see a good team that is relatively healthy, has had plenty of time to prepare, and sees this game as essential to establishing its credentials as a contender.
PREDICTION
Eagles 19, Seahawks 17.
- Les Bowen