Defense carries Seahawks to rout of Eagles
PHILADELPHIA -- A cross-country trip to Philadelphia for a Monday night game in the snow hasn't exactly been a formula for success. Then again, these are not the same old Seattle Seahawks.
Using big plays on defense, including interception returns for touchdowns by Andre Dyson and rookie Lofa Tatupu, and smaller ones from their top-ranked offense, the Seahawks routed the Eagles, 42-0, last night.
Neither are these the same Eagles who reached the past four NFC Championship games. Philadelphia (5-7), torn apart by injuries and the Terrell Owens affair, played its worst game since becoming an NFC force in 2001.
A better fight was expected. Yet the Seahawks (10-2) dominated from the outset, winning their eighth straight game, tying a team record set in 1984. They gained only 194 yards overall -- the Seahawks were averaging 386 -- but didn't need to do much after taking a 35-0 halftime lead.
Seattle, which got two short touchdowns runs from NFL rushing leader Shaun Alexander, sort of sneaked its way to the top of the conference and barely survived the New York Giants last week. In the Monday night spotlight, though, the NFC West champions filled the scoreboard.
The only negative came when Dyson, after he returned Ryan Moats's fumble 25 yards for another touchdown on the first play of the second half, sprained his left ankle. Dyson was carried off the field by several teammates.
It was Philadelphia's worst loss since a 38-0 flop against Seattle to open the 1998 season. Indeed, as Dyson scored on his fumble return, Lincoln Financial Field pretty much emptied out. The majority of fans stayed that long only because the Eagles retired Reggie White's No. 92 at halftime.
The Eagles, who had six turnovers, were shut out for the first time since 2003, when Tampa Bay beat them, 17-0, in the first game in the new stadium. It was the Eagles' worst home loss since they were beaten, 49-0, by Green Bay in 1962.
And they lost running back Brian Westbrook, who suffered a sprained foot.
It didn't take along for Seattle's powerful offense to begin the scoring. Well, it actually took more than eight minutes on the opening drive, a relentless march featuring four third-down conversions and 16 plays. Matt Hasselbeck, flushed to the right, found Bobby Engram wide open in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown after Philadelphia's Jeremiah Trotter and Quintin Mikell collided.
Three plays earlier, Trotter's illegal contact penalty negated Mikell's interception in the end zone.
When the Eagles staged their own productive drive, it ended ignominiously as quarterback Mike McMahon stared straight at receiver Greg Lewis. Dyson read the pass perfectly, picked it off and raced 72 yards down the left sideline for a 14-0 lead.
Early in the second quarter, McMahon threw directly to middle linebacker Tatupu, who raced 38 yards to make it 21-0.
Alexander got his first TD of the night on a 2-yard run one play after Koy Detmer, in for the inept McMahon, had his pass tipped by the omnipresent Tatupu and picked off by Michael Boulware. Alexander added his league-leading 22d touchdown of the season on a 1-yarder set up by Hasselbeck's 42-yard pass to D.J. Hackett.
Alexander finished with 49 yards rushing, the first time in more than a year he had fewer than 60. But he didn't play in the second half.
Owens finished his team suspension for conduct detrimental to the franchise. He was deactivated before the game, as he will be for the rest of the season.
