Seahawks Are Flying High

By Sam Farmer

Dec. 6, 2005 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

PHILADELPHIA —

The visibility was murky, but the picture was clear.

The Seattle Seahawks, unfazed by a driving snowstorm, made a convincing case Monday that they are the team to beat in the NFC. In the process, they reminded everyone just how far the once-mighty Philadelphia Eagles have fallen.

The Eagles had six turnovers -- three of which were returned for touchdowns -- on their way to a humiliating 42-0 loss at Lincoln Financial Field.

“We put ourselves in a bind in the first half and we couldn’t get out,” tight end L.J. Smith said.

Seattle (10-2) took a 35-0 lead before halftime, scoring twice on defense with interception returns of 72 yards by cornerback Andre Dyson and 38 yards by linebacker Lofa Tatupu. In the third quarter, Dyson scored on a 25-yard fumble return.

The game was so lopsided that Seattle Coach Mike Holmgren began to feel the rarest of football sentiments, sympathy, for Eagle Coach Andy Reid, his former assistant coach in Green Bay and closest friend.

“I just kept looking at the clock in the second half and wanted it to go,” Holmgren said.

He had expected the Philadelphia game to be like the Seahawks’ other three NFC East matchups, all of which came down to the wire.

“I anticipated it would be a knock-down, drag-out kind of game,” he said.

And, in a way, it was. The Eagles were knocked down early and dragged all over the field. They had 10 penalties and failed to cross the 50-yard line on 13 of 17 possessions.

Seattle linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski called it a “coming-out party” for his team. And the Seahawks appear to have separated themselves from the pack. Whereas the 12-0 Indianapolis Colts are clearly the class of the AFC, the NFC has several playoff contenders with potentially fatal flaws.

Chicago has won eight in a row, just as Seattle has. But the Bears are relying almost entirely on defense. Their quarterback, Kyle Orton, has the lowest passer rating of any season-long starter.

The New York Giants claimed sole possession of the NFC East with a shaky victory over visiting Dallas on Sunday, even though their offense could muster only one touchdown. A troubling trend for the Giants: A week after missing three would-be game-winning kicks in a loss at Seattle, Jay Feely clanked a 33-yarder off an upright against the Cowboys. Also, New York is 1-3 away from the Meadowlands.

Carolina went 11 games without a 100-yard rusher until Sunday, when DeShaun Foster gained 131 against Atlanta.

The Minnesota Vikings, who have won five in a row after a 2-5 start, beat only one playoff contender during their current streak: the Giants. And that was a freakish victory, with Minnesota losing the yardage battle, 405 to 137, but becoming the first team in NFL history to score on returns of a kickoff, punt and interception in one game.

In their victory -- the most-lopsided shutout in the 35-year history of “Monday Night Football” -- the Seahawks rebutted a list of perceived shortcomings. They proved they can win in the cold, in a hostile environment, and on the other side of the country. Coming into the game, Seattle had lost seven of its last eight games in the Eastern time zone. Not only that, but the Seahawks ended their recent prime-time slump, notching their first victory in their last four Monday night games.

“Tonight we showed that when the spotlight was on us, we were ready to go,” Kacyvenski said.

Without moving a finger Sunday, the Seahawks accomplished their first of many goals. They won the division by virtue of St. Louis’ loss at Washington. Now, Seattle is playing for a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Philadelphia became the 11th team to lose three Monday night games in one season. About the only thing fans cheered was the halftime show in which the Eagles retired the late Reggie White’s number. After that, thousands headed for the exits.

It was by far Philadelphia’s worst loss under Reid.

This, for a franchise that played in the Super Bowl last season and in the last four NFC championship games. By the look of things, the Eagles have joined the ranks of some of the league’s worst teams.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Fall guys

Last year’s NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles remain in last place in the NFC East division with a 5-7 record. Recent Super Bowl teams (with result) that failed to qualify for the playoffs the next season:

NEW YORK GIANTS

2000 (12-4) Lost to Baltimore, 34-7

2001 (7-9) 3rd place in NFC East

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

2001 (11-5) Defeated St. Louis, 20-17

2002 (9-7) 2nd place in AFC East

ST. LOUIS RAMS

2001 (14-2) Lost to New England, 20-17

2002 (7-9) 2nd place in NFC West

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

2002 (12-4) Defeated Oakland, 48-21

2003 (7-9) 3rd place in NFC South