Philadelphia Eagles: 3 Players that must shine vs. Seahawks in Week 12

The Philadelphia Eagles have to start making a run if they want to make the playoffs and these players need to step up against the Seahawks in Week 12.

All of the talk about the Philadelphia Eagles after 11 weeks seems centered on Doug Pederson‘s club turning it around as their schedule eases up. And yet, they currently sit at 5-5 on the season, are one game out of the NFC East lead and well out of the heated NFC Wild Card race. Now they face off against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 12 at Lincoln Financial Field.

The Seahawks have been phenomenal this season with Russell Wilson performing at an MVP-caliber level this year. Moreover, their high-octane passing game seems to be bad news for the Eagles secondary, which has been their biggest bugaboo in 2019. Thus, the Eagles could be in danger of dropping to 5-6. Even with an easy finishing stretch, that’s not ideal for controlling their destiny.

Thus, the Eagles could very much use a bounce-back win after falling to the Patriots last week. For that to happen, Philadelphia needs these three players to step against the Seahawks.

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3. Ronald Darby, CB

Since returning from injury, Ronald Darby has not played well. In fact, that might be putting it kindly as the supposed No. 1 corner in Philadelphia has been a problem. And against this Seahawks passing attack, that could be devastating to the Eagles’ chances of picking up a crucial win at home.

Matching up with the speed threats of Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf and even Josh Gordon, Darby needs to shape up. We’ve seen how talented he has been throughout his career and this is the moment he needs to pick to show it. If not, the woes of the Eagles secondary are going to likely continue on Sunday afternoon.

2. Fletcher Cox, DT

One way that the Eagles can help Darby and the secondary is by not allowing the downfield passing game of the Seahawks to get going. That means forcing Russell Wilson to make quicker decisions before things can develop for deep throws. And while Brandon Graham and the ends will be critical, Fletcher Cox is the tone-setter of the Eagles front-seven.

Despite how well Wilson has played this season, the Seattle offensive line has remained one of the more problematic units in the entire league. They allow pressure at an alarming rate and, based on talent, the Eagles should be able to take advantage. Cox must be the man in the middle starting it all, though.

1. Carson Wentz, QB

Throughout his career, Carson Wentz has struggled mightily when Lane Johnson doesn’t play. With the tackle out for Sunday’s matchup, that does not bode well for the offense and the quarterback. However, with the stakes of this game for the Eagles, Philadelphia needs their signal-caller to step up and shed the demons he’s dealt with over his time in Philly.

Seattle’s defense is nowhere near what it once was. The secondary, in particular, has plenty of issues and the pass rush has been inconsistent. Wentz has to take advantage of that at home to keep his team’s playoff hopes from dropping by the week.