Philadelphia Eagles vs. Seattle Seahawks: Score Prediction, Bear Watching Jalen Hurts, Matt Patricia

The Philadelphia Eagles downgraded their quarterback to questionable and took away play-calling duties from defensive coordinator Sean Desai, giving them to Matt Patricia, for Monday night's matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.

Five things to watch. Hmmm … does that even seem relevant anymore for Monday night’s matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks?

The Eagles already clinched a playoff spot for the third consecutive year and, if the season ended before kickoff, they’d be the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.

There are only two things to watch that stand out in this game.

First, Jalen Hurts. The quarterback is expected to play even after being downgraded to questionable on Sunday after his illness was worse when he woke up on Saturday and missed practice.

The sickness was so severe that that the Eagles, rather than risk other members of the team from coming down with what he had opted to fly him to the Pacific Northwest on his own.

How well will he play a week after the inability to get his offense into the end zone against the Dallas Cowboys?

Well, that’s one thing to watch.

The other, and perhaps even more important, is the effect Matt Patricia will have on the defense.

Sunday’s breaking news that Sean Desai has been relieved of his defensive play calling and banished to the coach’s box so that Patricia can take over was stunning, to say the least.

Head coach Nick Sirianni said earlier in the week that he had “total confidence” in his first-year defensive coordinator.

“I feel good with the people that we have in this building,” said Sirianni. “We're 10-3. We're in control of our own destiny, and we're going to keep rolling and finding answers with the people that we have.”

Jalen Hurts :: Ed Kracz/SI Eagles Today

It was reminiscent of 2020 when then-coach Doug Pederson said that he would bring back offensive coordinator Mike Groh and receivers coach Carson Walch after a 4-11-1 season. 

The next day, Pederson reversed course and said they wouldn’t be brought back, then a day after that, Pederson himself was canned just three years after delivering the franchise its first Super Bowl.

Given that, it's evident that this was a move from above Sirianni's pay grade, just as it was Pederson's. No doubt, either general manager Howie Roseman or owner Jeffrey Lurie - probably both - wanted Desai shelved and Patricia elevated.

That’s not saying Sirianni will soon be shown the door if things don’t improve over the final month, but it is certainly a wakeup call for a team mired in a two-game losing streak with a defense that has allowed at least 30 points in three straight games and ranks in the bottom five of most defensive categories.

There's no denying, however, that a whole can of worms hasn't been opened.

For instance, what's to prevent anyone from thinking that Darius Slay, who had a contentious relationship with Patricia during their time together with the Detroit Lions, knew this move was coming and opted for a knee cleanout that will sideline him for Monday night and perhaps beyond? 

There doesn’t seem to be going back to the way it was no matter how the defense performs with Patricia at the controls.

That means the Eagles will spend a portion of their offseason, whenever it begins, looking for a new defensive coordinator.

Until then, Philly will play for playoff seeding, and maybe that is a third reason to watch Monday night's game - to see if they can go up one game on the Cowboys who got hammered in Buffalo against the Bills on Sunday, and take one step closer to winning a second straight NFC East title.

Either way, the Eagles will do it with a new defensive play-caller and a lame-duck DC.

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PREDICTION: Eagles 30, Seahawks 22

SEASON RECORD: 8-5