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Seahawks prove they're better than Eagles

They were more businesslike than boastful in the visiting locker room after executing one of the most lopsided 24-14 victories you'll see on an NFL field. The Seattle Seahawks had heard all about the Eagles' fast pace and explosiveness on offense and they did not disrespect it even after they had demolished it.

They were more businesslike than boastful in the visiting locker room after executing one of the most lopsided 24-14 victories you'll see on an NFL field. The Seattle Seahawks had heard all about the Eagles' fast pace and explosiveness on offense and they did not disrespect it even after they had demolished it.

That said, the Seahawks' defensive players knew if they came into Lincoln Financial Field Sunday and played at the same high level they did last season and again in recent weeks, they would leave Philadelphia with their sixth win in seven games. In other words, they knew they were better than the Eagles and they proved it in impressive fashion.

"They got weapons, but we got weapons, too," Seattle middle linebacker Bobby Wagner said. "We got a lot of weapons. Our defense is stacked. We have the secondary, the linebackers, the defensive line. I heard a lot of talk about the high-tempo offense, but what about our high-tempo defense?"

It's impressive. It was good enough to win a Super Bowl last year and it may be good enough to win another one this year. The Seahawks may not repeat as champions because a trip to Green Bay in January would be difficult for any team, but it's not an impossible dream. In fact, it is easy to envision another Super Bowl week with running back Marshawn Lynch's nonsensical silence and Richard Sherman's perpetual chatter.

"You can hurry up all you want, but if you can't get yards and you can't complete passes then it's just quick three-and-outs," Sherman said after the Seahawks halted the Eagles' 10-game home winning streak.

This latest Eagles loss stung as much as the one in Green Bay because it was more proof that coach Chip Kelly's program is not ready for the really big stage.

That does not mean there is anything wrong with Kelly's scheme. We've seen it work before and it could work again Sunday when the Eagles face another critical NFC East test against the Dallas Cowboys. Even the Seahawks had admiration for what the Eagles have done most of this season but could not do against them.

"We take a lot out of this [win] because it was against a good football team in a very difficult setting," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. "I'm happy to get this one."

Even happier in the manner it was won. The Eagles managed a total of 139 yards of offense, the lowest output ever for a team coached by Kelly. Carroll and Kelly, of course, had done battle in the Pac-10 with Kelly's Oregon team winning over USC in a 2009 Halloween game in which the Ducks put up 47 points.

On this day, it appeared as if Kelly's offense might have to punt 47 times. The final number of punts was actually eight, which was only one fewer than the Eagles' total number of first downs.

"I have tremendous respect for everything that [Kelly] has done," Carroll said. "The fact that happened today, I don't know anything about that. I do know about our guys playing defense and they took this challenge very much to heart because they respect them - the tempo, the background and the tremendous players that they have.

"These guys on our defense can do a lot of stuff. They can really play when they're playing like this. There really is nothing they can't do when they're playing this tight and this much together."

The immediate job for the Eagles is to regroup and get ready for the game against the Cowboys. At some point, however, and probably sooner than they would like, Kelly and the Eagles are going to have to figure out how to put together either an offense or a defense that is so dominant that it does not matter what team shows up to play them.

You would think it would be more likely to happen on offense because that is the side of the ball that Kelly is known for. It's fair to wonder if the Eagles have enough quality Jimmys and Joes to make Kelly's innovative Xs and Os work against a dominant team like Seattle.

Defensively, the Eagles have some nice parts. The front seven is solid and getting better. The secondary, on the other hand, got a nice whiff Sunday of how far short it falls when compared to the Seahawks. That's no sin, but the Eagles' secondary ranks second against most teams they play.

Sherman, after taunting the Eagles' fans, killed their players with kindness after Sunday's game.

"They are a 9-4 team and they are right in the race in their division," Sherman said. "They have won some great games against some great teams this year. I think they deserve to feel the way they do right now."

The Eagles did not feel so good Sunday and the reason was obvious. They came up way short again against a team that has the potential to be great.

bbrookover@phillynews.com

@brookob