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Brady HendersonESPN
There’s something about Russell Wilson playing in primetime.
And there’s something about DK Metcalf playing in Philadelphia.
The Wilson-to-Metcalf combination — plus another strong performance from the Seattle Seahawks‘ resurgent defense — was enough for a 23-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles Monday night at Lincoln Financial Field.
Metcalf caught 10 passes for a career-high 177 yards while doing most of his damage against All-Pro cornerback Darius Slay. That topped his 160-yard performance at the same stadium in January, when he set an NFL rookie postseason record in Seattle’s wild-card win over the Eagles.
Monday night’s victory gives Seattle (8-3) a one-game lead in the NFC West over the Los Angeles Rams, and it gives the Seahawks seven straight wins over Philadelphia (including playoffs) dating back to 2011.
It also continues Wilson’s dominance under the lights. He’s now 29-8-1 in primetime games (defined as starting at 7 p.m. ET or later) for a .776 winning percentage. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, that’s the best by any starting quarterback since 1950 with at least 20 starts. Steve Young (.767, 23-7) is second.
Wilson improved to 10-2 on Monday Night Football for an .833 winning percentage that is also first in MNF history.
Wilson completed 22 of 31 attempts for 230 yards, one touchdown and no turnovers. It was his second-straight game without an interception or lost fumble after the worst turnover funk of his career.
The Seahawks’ defense that was getting gashed at a historic rate over the first half of the season turned in its second straight strong performance. It forced three-and-outs on the Eagles’ first five possessions, sacked Carson Wentz six times and held Philadelphia to nine points until a late Hail Mary.
Metcalf sealed Seattle’s win by recovering the ensuing onside kick.
He topped 1,000 yards for the season Monday night and became the faster in Seahawks history (11th game) to hit that milestone.