Eagles news: Jalen Hurts to play against Seahawks; Geno Smith updates; predictions and odds

Eagles defensive assistant coach Matt Patricia adjusts his cap during training camp practice. Now, he’ll be calling the defense.

• What you should know
• The Eagles (10-3) visit the Seattle Seahawks (6-7) on Monday Night Football after the game was flexed from its original Sunday slot. It will air on ESPN and ABC at 8:15 p.m.
• Jalen Hurts is active tonight and is expected to play despite battling flu-like symptoms over the past several days. Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith is also active after a groin injury kept him sidelined last week, but it’s unclear if he’ll be the starter.
• The Eagles will be without CB Darius Slay, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, OG Cam Jurgens (pectoral), and LB Zack Cunningham (knee).
• In a surprise move, the Eagles stripped defensive coordinator Sean Desai of his play-calling duties and turned them over to Matt Patricia, who will take over on the sideline Monday night while Desai watches from the box.
• Without even playing, the Eagles clinched a playoff spot Sunday and moved back into first place in the NFC East thanks to the Dallas Cowboys’ loss to the Buffalo Bills. They’ll need a win Monday to stay there.

Lisa Ertz, Zach Ertz’s mother, at the third annual Winter Giving Event at the House of Hope Church in Philadelphia on Saturday.

It’s still unclear if the Seahawks will start Geno Smith or Drew Lock

// Timestamp 12/18/23 7:55pm

Rain in Seattle already having an impact

// Timestamp 12/18/23 7:18pm

Inquirer Eagles pregame show: Stream live

// Timestamp 12/18/23 6:57pm

Recently-signed Eagles linebacker Shaquille Leonard (50) and Kevin Byard (31) run past Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni.

ESPN: Geno Smith is active, but may not start

// Timestamp 12/18/23 6:50pm

Who is Matt Patricia, and why will he be calling Eagles’ defensive plays tonight?

// Timestamp 12/18/23 6:30pm

Eagles senior defensive assistant Matt Patricia has assumed play-calling duties, and coordinator Sean Desai has been delegated to a lesser role and will transition to the coaches’ booth.

The sudden change comes on the heels of the Eagles giving up nine touchdowns and four field goals during their two-game losing streak to the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. With Patricia now calling the shots on defense, the Eagles will look to end their skid and improve their playoff positioning on Monday night, when they play the Seahawks at Lumen Field.

Eagles cornerback Mekhi Garner, seen here running drills during training camp.

Patricia, 49, the longtime Patriots coordinator and Bill Belichick disciple, was hired by the Eagles in April. At the time, the Eagles listed him on their website as part of the coaching staff before making an official announcement about Patricia’s hiring. His listing was then awkwardly removed — and coach Nick Sirianni said the Eagles were “trending in that direction” with adding Patricia to his staff.

Since then, Patricia has not been made available to reporters. On game days, he has been seen with other assistants in the coaches’ booth, where Desai will shift to beginning Monday in Seattle.

Why did the Eagles switch to Patricia?

On Tuesday, Sirianni, coming off perhaps the worst two-game stretch of his tenure, reiterated his confidence in Desai and the rest of his coaching staff: “I feel good with the people that we have in this building. 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.”

But just a few days later, Desai’s demotion and the team’s turn to Patricia has contradicted Sirianni’s original message. And according to a league source, at least a couple of starting defensive players expressed excitement upon hearing about the change.

The Eagles rank 22nd in the NFL in total defense (353.9 yards per game), 28th in pass defense, 28th in points allowed (24.7), 30th in red zone defense (70.5%), and last in third-down defense (48.1%).

Jalen Hurts walks towards the Eagles locker room after arriving at Lumen Field with his teammates.

What to know about Matt Patricia, the Eagles’ new defensive play caller

— Josh Tolentino

Jalen Hurts to play tonight vs. the Seahawks

Eagles senior defensive assistant Matt Patricia arrives at Lumen Field in Seattle ahead of tonight’s game.

// Timestamp 12/18/23 5:45pm

Despite battling flu-like symptoms over the past several days, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is active and will play Monday night against the Seahawks at Lumen Field.

Hurts, 25, was sidelined during practice Saturday, but he initially did not carry any type of game designation on the team’s final injury report.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts arrives at the stadium with his teammates before the Eagles play the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle, Wash. on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023.

However, on Sunday, Hurts was downgraded to questionable, and he did not not travel with the team from Philadelphia to Seattle. Rather, Hurts flew on a separate charter flight, as he continued to deal with various symptoms, including body chills and aches, along with a fever, according to a league source.

Source: Eagles’ Jalen Hurts (illness) expected to play against the Seahawks

— Josh Tolentino

With Darius Slay out, Eagles elevate rookie cornerback Mekhi Garner from practice squad

// Timestamp 12/18/23 4:21pm

The Eagles are elevating undrafted rookie cornerback Mekhi Garner from the practice squad for tonight’s game.

The move gives them some depth at corner with Darius Slay out after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery.

— EJ Smith

Murphy: It’s time for Nick Sirianni to send a message

// Timestamp 12/18/23 4:18pm

We are going to learn a lot about Nick Sirianni against the Seahawks on Monday. His team will tell us all we need to know. A coach has only so many bullets. When you fire, you’d better be right. Matt Patricia is an excellent tactician, far better than his reputation suggests. But this is a move that you can make only once.

Sirianni needs to send a message to his team. To his coaches. To his opponents. He needs them to relay that message to the broader public. Monday night is their platform.

We’re still here.

It’s funny. As good a coach as Sirianni has shown himself to be, the only way out of this pickle is to take the advice of two random dudes holding a poster board sign on a city street at the crack of dawn.

Run the ball.

The defense needs it. The quarterback needs it. The offensive coordinator needs to realize that he needs it.

The Eagles are flirting with dysfunction. Nick Sirianni needs to remind his team what makes it great.

— David Murphy

When was the last time the Eagles beat the Seahawks?

// Timestamp 12/18/23 3:23pm

If you’re struggling to remember, that’s because it’s been a while. In fact, it hasn’t happened since 2008, back when Pete Carroll was still coaching at USC. And it hasn’t really mattered where the games have been played, as the Eagles have lost seven straight to the Seahawks, including four in Seattle.

Here’s a look at the results dating back to their last win over 15 years ago …

• Seahawks 23, Eagles 17 (11/30/20 in Philly)
• Seahawks 17, Eagles 9 (1/5/20 in Philly)*
• Seahawks 17, Eagles 9 (11/24/19 in Philly)
• Seahawks 24, Eagles 10 (12/03/17 in Seattle)
• Seahawks 26, Eagles 15 (11/20/16 in Seattle)
• Seahawks 24, Eagles 14 (12/07/14 in Philly)
• Seahawks 31, Eagles 14 (12/01/11 in Seattle)
• Eagles 26, Seahawks 7 (11/2/08 in Seattle)

*postseason game

The Eagles can snap that streak with a win, but they may have to do it without Jalen Hurts.

— Matt Mullin

It wasn’t just Xs and Os that led to Sean Desai’s demotion

// Timestamp 12/18/23 3:06pm

Sean Desai stripped of Eagles defensive play-calling duties for Matt Patricia

Bet on Seahawks to cover 3.5-point spread at home vs. Eagles

// Timestamp 12/18/23 2:33pm

Despite the Eagles having four more wins than the Seattle Seahawks, this Monday Night Football clash feels like a trap game for Philadelphia. While I’m not willing to commit to a Seahawks moneyline market, I feel good about them covering the 3.5-point spread.

It’s important to note that Jalen Hurts and Geno Smith’s statuses haven’t been confirmed as of time of publish. I’m sticking to my pick of Seattle covering +3.5 points regardless who suits up under center for either side.

Philadelphia are trending downward after losses to the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers. it starts with their defense being a weekly liability. They’re 29th against the pass and will be without Darius Slay going up against DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.

But their run defense (which was the NFL’s best four weeks ago) has regressed to seventh. The Eagles have allowed 37, 42, and 33 points in their last three respective games.

If Hurts doesn’t play, the Eagles could struggle getting their playmakers going downfield as accuracy has been a long-standing issue for Marcus Mariota. The Eagles are an inconsistent team on the ground as well.

Take Seahawks covering as home underdogs against the Eagles Monday

-Nick Goodling, The Action Network

Who is the Eagles backup quarterback?

// Timestamp 12/18/23 2:06pm

If Jalen Hurts is too sick to play against the Seahawks, the Eagles will turn to backup quarterback Marcus Mariota, who is in his first year with the Birds.

The former second-overall pick has played for four teams during his nine-year NFL career, including a stint with the Atlanta Falcons in 2022 that was featured on the Netflix series “The Quarterback” alongside Patrick Mahomes and Kirk Cousins.

Who is Marcus Mariota?

Mariota came to the Birds after starting 13 games last season for the Falcons to mixed results. He also backed up Derek Carr for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020-21, and spent five years as the starter for the Tennessee Titans after they drafted him in 2015.

Mariota won the Heisman Trophy while playing college football at Oregon. In 2012, he played for former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, who was then the coach of the Ducks. Kelly wanted the Eagles to trade up to draft him, but the Birds couldn’t pull off a deal and acquired Sam Bradford in a trade instead.

Now, nine years later, he’s finally an Eagle and on the verge of his first potential start for Philly.

“When you look at Marcus, you’re talking about an elite athlete who has really good tools as a passer,” general manager Howie Roseman said at the NFL’s owners’ meetings in the offseason. “Obviously we feel like — we’re hoping he doesn’t have to take the field other than mop-up duty. But I feel like he could run our offense if need be if Jalen caught a cold or something, and he had to play.”

Marcus Mariota career stats

Mariota across 89 games played and 74 starts has accumulated 15,672 passing yards, 92 passing touchdowns, and 54 interceptions. Last season, in 13 games with the Falcons, Mariota went 5-8, passing for 2,219 yards, 15 touchdowns, and nine interceptions, while completing 61.3% of his passes.

— Gabriela Carroll

Eagles to face old friend Jason Peters on Monday night

// Timestamp 12/18/23 1:23pm

Tucked in the back right corner of the Eagles’ locker room at the NovaCare Complex, the starting offensive linemen’s stalls are situated in the same order as their alignment on the field. For eight seasons from his draft year in 2013 to 2020, right tackle Lane Johnson would look four spots over and see left tackle Jason Peters in the locker closest to the back wall, the man as much of a fixture in the room as the stall itself.

Call it tackle telepathy, call it good spatial awareness, but Johnson didn’t need to hear Peters’ booming voice or see his 6-foot-4, 328-pound frame to know he was in the vicinity.

“He had that swagger and confidence about him,” Johnson told The Inquirer. “So he just had that kind of aura around him. That glow. And so I feel like people kind of swarmed to that presence.”

The physical embodiment of that presence has been missing for the last three seasons, as Peters’ illustrious 11-season chapter with the Eagles ended in 2021 when he signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears. After a 2022 stint with the Dallas Cowboys, the 41-year-old Peters found a new home this season with the Seahawks, for whom he figures to suit up for when the Eagles come to Seattle on Monday night.

Tackle Jason Peters left a lasting impression along the Eagles’ offensive line

— Olivia Reiner

Zach Ertz’s family is rooting for an Eagles reunion

// Timestamp 12/18/23 12:41pm

Even though Zach Ertz hasn’t played for the Eagles in over two years, the Ertz Family Foundation is still rooted in Philadelphia.

“He fell in love with the city, we all did,” his mother, Lisa Ertz, said. “There’s something just extraordinary about this place. The people, the diversity, the welcoming aspect.

“They left, but they didn’t want to pick up their heart and leave. They wanted me to stay here and do the work. And it’ll always be the place he played the longest. And it will be forever in their hearts.”

Now, Ertz is a free agent and will likely sign with a contending team soon. A reunion with the Eagles isn’t out of the question, and if you ask Lisa, she’s all for it.

“I would start my own petition if I could,” she said of Zach playing in Philly. “… We’d all love for him to come back, but I’m on a need-to-know basis as his mother because I get too emotional and too excited. It’s all good. He just wants to play. I’m sure wherever he goes, it’s going to be a blessing to that team. I’ll change my jersey again, be Mama Ertz in the stands no matter where he plays.”

As Zach Ertz makes his free agent decision, his family gives back to Philly — and would love an Eagles reunion

— Matt Ryan

Why did the NFL flex Eagles-Seahawks — and would they do it again?

// Timestamp 12/18/23 12:04pm

If the NFL were making the decision today, the league might not have chosen to move this week’s game between the Eagles (10-3) and the Seattle Seahawks (6-7) to Monday Night Football, according to Mike North.

To North, the NFL’s vice president of broadcast planning, it seemed like an obvious decision two weeks ago to replace a lopsided prime-time matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs (8-5) and New England Patriots (3-10) with Eagles-Seahawks, even though it meant shifting the Birds game from a Sunday afternoon to a Monday night in the first-ever Monday Night Football flex.

But look at what’s happened in the two weeks since that announcement: The Chiefs have lost two straight games, including a crazy ending against the Buffalo Bills (7-6) that left Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid furious at the refs. At the same time, the Seahawks have lost four straight games and might be forced to start Drew Lock at quarterback due to Geno Smith’s groin injury.

“A week ago, this seemed like 100% the right move, and it may still be,” North said. “But after this past weekend, if we had to pull the trigger, you could make a case that Kansas City vs. New England might still work in the Monday night slot.”

So why make the move? There were a lot of TV factors for North and his colleagues to consider. …

Why the NFL moved the Eagles to ‘Monday Night Football’

— Rob Tornoe

Seahawks fan Mina Kimes to join Monday night’s ManningCast

// Timestamp 12/18/23 11:32am

Peyton and Eli Manning’s alternative Monday Night Football telecast, dubbed the “Manningcast,” is back on ESPN2 this season for the third straight year, and the brothers will be broadcasting during Eagles-Seahawks.

They’ll be joined by ESPN’s Mina Kimes, a noted Seattle Seahawks fan.

It’s the third Eagles game the Manning brothers have handled, and the second this season. During the Eagles’ win against the Kansas City Chiefs last month, Peyton and Eli spoke to former Birds quarterback turned Fox NFL analyst Michael Vick, where he admitted he played as Peyton — and not himself — in Madden football.

Hurts made it onto the Manningcast last season, when the young Eagles quarterback (who was wearing a hoodie with the phrase “God bless whoever hating on me”) reacted to a wild video of Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, who passionately and hilariously butchered a Hurts quote about heat and thermostats.

This is the final Manningcast of the regular season, but Peyton and Eli will be back to call one playoff game for ESPN.

Eagles-Seahawks: Start time, channel, how to watch and stream ‘Monday Night Football’

— Rob Tornoe

Eagles vs. Seahawks predictions

// Timestamp 12/18/23 11:18am

Here’s a look at how our beat writers see tonight’s game playing out …

And here’s a look at how some national outlets are picking the game …

For more picks, be sure to can check out our full predictions roundup.

— Matt Mullin

Report: Geno Smith ‘a bit of a longshot’ to play vs. Eagles

// Timestamp 12/18/23 10:26am

Both the Eagles and Seahawks still have questions at the quarterback position heading into their Monday Night Football matchup. Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith did not play against the San Francisco 49ers last week due to a groin injury and his status is questionable for tonight’s game.

NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday morning that he is unlikely to play against the Eagles.

“My understanding is [Geno Smith] has to improve a lot from now until game time to be able to play, considered a bit of a long shot, status up in the air, however you would like to say it,” Rapoport said. “There’s a pretty good possibility that it is Drew Lock out on the field tonight for the Seattle Seahawks.”

Lock started against the 49ers and threw for 269 yards on 22-for-31 attempts, with two passing touchdowns and two interceptions.

— Gabriela Carroll

Eagles optimistic Hurts will play vs. Seahawks

// Timestamp 12/18/23 10:08am

Jalen Hurts is considered questionable to play against the Seahawks after his illness worsened on Sunday.

Hurts missed Saturday’s practice and traveled to Seattle separately due to his illness. The team is still optimistic Hurts will play Monday, even if he is not at 100%, the Inquirer reported Sunday.

NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday morning that he believes Hurts will play.

“Most players who deal with something like this end up playing, but obviously more coming later,” Rapoport said.

Hurts himself has dealt with multiple illnesses this season, including against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and played despite suffering flu-like symptoms.

If Hurts cannot play, backup quarterback Marcus Mariota will step in. Mariota has started 74 NFL games across nine seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, and Las Vegas Raiders.

Eagles downgrade ailing Jalen Hurts to questionable for Monday’s game

— Gabriela Carroll

Sielski: Eagles defensive switch isn’t a panic move

// Timestamp 12/18/23 9:56am

This whole situation is enough to make you want to stick a No. 2 pencil in your ear.

In a sense, the decision to demote Sean Desai and elevate Matt Patricia, who until a couple of days ago had been merely a “senior defensive assistant,” shouldn’t be surprising. The Eagles can hardly play worse defense under Patricia than they have lately under Desai. They’re last in the NFL in third-down effectiveness. Their linebackers and secondary have often appeared either out of position, tentative to tackle, or both. They have a pass rush that hasn’t lived up to the resources allocated to it.

When you think about the problems that have plagued this defense, one play and two quotes stand out for being particularly telling. First, the play: a 32-yard catch-and-rumble by the 49ers’ George Kittle in that 42-19 rout earlier this month. It would have been one thing if Kittle had gained so much yardage through a superhuman effort, if Eagles were bouncing off him as he carried the ball. It was another thing that, on a basic swing pass, the Eagles left the best tight end in the league pretty much uncovered; Kittle had a 10-yard halo of empty air around him.

Now, the quotes: After the Dallas loss, defensive end Josh Sweat called out the entire defense. “We’re not where we’re supposed to be,” he told The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane. Then, a couple of days later, cornerback Darius Slay took to his podcast to point a finger at the other 10 players on the field: “I had damn near a perfect game. Of course I could’ve made more plays. But overall, the game was great by me. But as a team, we ain’t played worth a [expletive].”

In light of the lack of resistance that Desai’s defense put up against the 49ers and the Cowboys and the leakage out of the locker room these last two weeks, it’s difficult to call this a panic move.

Sean Desai’s demotion shouldn’t be that surprising. But will the move work out for the Eagles?

— Mike Sielski

Matt Patricia takes over for Sean Desai on defense

// Timestamp 12/18/23 9:38am

The Birds will have a new face on the sidelines coaching the defense against the Seahawks. Senior defensive assistant Matt Patricia is taking over defensive play-calling duties from Sean Desai.

Patricia joined the Eagles in the offseason as a defensive assistant after his second stint with the New England Patriots. He was head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2018-20, and coached the Patriots from 2004-17 and 2021-22, most notably serving as defensive coordinator under Bill Belichick from 2012-17.

The Eagles’ defense through week 14 ranked 22nd in the NFL in yards allowed per game, last in the NFL in third-down stops and 30th in red-zone defense. After two poor performances against the 49ers and the Cowboys, head coach Nick Sirianni made the change.

Sean Desai stripped of Eagles defensive play-calling duties for Matt Patricia

— Gabriela Carroll

Hayes: NFL banning Big Dom from sideline for rest of season is a bit much

// Timestamp 12/18/23 9:29am

The NFL on Friday decided to extend Dom DiSandro’s ban from the sideline through the end of the regular season. It is the latest overreaction to an issue the NFL created for itself.

DiSandro is the Eagles’ chief of security. He stands next to Eagles coach Nick Sirianni during Eagles games, an Eagles tradition that dates back almost 30 years and which several other teams copy. DiSandro was involved in a brief physical and verbal altercation with 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw on the Eagles’ sideline two weeks ago. Greenlaw body-slammed DeVonta Smith out of bounds at the feet of Sirianni and DiSandro. As Sirianni squawked at the officials, DiSandro separated the players with a light shove to Greenlaw’s midsection as he told Greenlaw something was “[B.S.].” Greenlaw shoved his finger into DiSandro’s nose.

And that was that.

At least, it should have been.

Dom DiSandro’s sideline ban is yet another overreaction by the NFL

— Marcus Hayes

How to watch and stream Eagles-Seahawks

// Timestamp 12/18/23 9:15am

The Monday Night Football game between the Eagles and the Seahawks is scheduled to kick off at 8:15 p.m. on ESPN and ABC.

In the booth for their second season at ESPN (and their 22nd together calling NFL games) are Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, along with King of Prussia native Lisa Salters reporting from the sidelines at Lumen Field in Seattle.

Eagles-Seahawks will also air on the radio on 94.1 WIP, where fans can listen to the familiar voices of Merrill Reese and former Eagles receiver Mike Quick. WIP host Howard Eskin will handle sideline reporting duties.

The game will also air in Spanish on ESPN Deportes (Rebeca Landa, Sergio Dipp, Katia Castorena, and John Sutcliffe) and on the radio on La Mega 105.7 (Rickie Ricardo, Oscar Budejen, and Bill Kulik).

While it won’t stream on ESPN+, the network’s subscription service, the game will stream on any so-called skinny bundle that carries ABC, including fuboTV, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and DirecTV Stream. Most offer a free trial. You can also stream Monday Night Football on NFL+, the leagues subscription streaming service, which runs $6.99 a month.

Eagles-Seahawks: Start time, channel, how to watch and stream ‘Monday Night Football’

— Rob Tornoe

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