Seahawks Halftime Observations: 'Hawks Hanging Tight, Trail Eagles 10-3 on MNF

After getting gashed by the Philadelphia Eagles on the game's opening drive, the Seattle Seahawks rebounded with a strong defensive effort for the rest of the half, keeping the home team within striking distance with two quarters to play in prime time.

Mired in a low-scoring slugfest on Monday Night Football, the Seattle Seahawks used a Jason Myers field goal late in the first half to go into halftime trailing the Philadelphia Eagles 10-3 at Lumen Field.

Here are three quick observations from Monday's Week 15 bout so far:

1. Minus Geno Smith again, Seattle's offense started slow before finding a groove late in the half.

Though Smith stood on the sidelines in uniform, the veteran quarterback didn't participate in warm-ups, confirming Lock would receive his second straight start. Getting off to a rough start, the fifth-year signal caller got flagged for a false start on the first snap from scrimmage and his 3rd and 9 pass to DK Metcalf only picked up eight yards, forcing the Seahawks to punt after a three-and-out possession. On the next drive, after Lock hit Tyler Lockett for a 12-yard completion on 3rd and 10 to move the chains, the drive sputtered short of midfield and Michael Dickson came on to punt again.

But moments before half, after the Eagles chewed up nearly the entire second quarter with a 16-play drive that resulted in a Jake Elliott field goal, the visitors helped jump start Lock and company with a 20-yard pass interference penalty against Metcalf on the first play of the possession. Four plays later, Ken Walker III took advantage of a rare crease to rip off a 13-yard run past Philadelphia's 30-yard line. On the ensuing third down, Lock stood tall in the pocket and threaded the needle to find Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 13-yard gain to move the chains again. Unfortunately, the drive stalled out in the red zone, but Jason Myers' 27-yard field goal cut the deficit to seven points with Seattle set to receive after halftime. 

2. Getting ransacked out of the gate, flat starts continue to be a major problem for Seahawks defense.

While the Seahawks have gotten off to quick starts on offense more times than not this year, the same can't be said for Pete Carroll's defense, which has been more than generous giving up touchdowns to begin games. That unwelcome trend continued on Monday night as the Eagles drove 75 yards on 15 plays to eat up almost nine minutes of game clock. On several occasions, the home team had a chance to get off the field, including 3rd and 9 after defensive tackle Leonard Williams devoured running back D'Andre Swift for a three-yard loss on second down.

But without any pressure in his face, Hurts fired a dart downfield over the middle to tight end Dallas Goedert for an 18-yard gain to easily move the chains. Philadelphia wound up going a perfect four for four on third downs on the drive, with A.J. Brown plowing through multiple missed tackles for one of the conversions and Kenneth Gainwell rumbling forward on 3rd and 3 for a four-yard gain. Hurts culminated the disappointing drive for Seattle's defense by calling his own number on a quarterback keeper and diving past the goal line for six points. It marked the sixth time this year Seattle has allowed a touchdown on its opening defensive possession.

3. A beneficial turn of events on Philly's final drive of the half could loom large in the final 30 minutes.

If Seahawks fans didn't feel like they had seen Lock and the offense in the second quarter, well, perception was truly reality. After Dickson punted to open the second period, the Eagles marched 63 yards on 16 plays to bleed more than eight minutes off the game clock. Facing 3rd and 1 from Seattle's three-yard line, Philadelphia looked poised to run the infamous "tush push" quarterback sneak with Hurts, which they already had successfully used once in a short yardage situation earlier in the game. But before Hurts could take the handoff, center Jason Kelce was flagged for a false start, pushing them back five yards.

No longer in a situation where they could run their signature goal line play, Hurts handed it off to D'Andre Swift on 3rd and 6 and didn't go far before safety Quandre Diggs whacked him for a one-yard gain. The Eagles were forced to settle for a field goal moments after converting on 4th and 3, which should be viewed as a big win for the Seahawks after giving up such a long, time-consuming drive and giving up three points instead of seven. The stop also appeared to be a bit of a wakeup call for the defense, which forced two punts and allowed just 21 net yards on their final two drives of the half to keep the deficit at seven.

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