Season Rewind Seahawks - Philadelphia Eagles

TOOLS » Enewsletter RSS Podcasts Mobile

PhiladelphiaEagles.com » Features » Season Rewind Seahawks

This Studebaker Could...
by: CHRIS ZERVOUDIS

Crowded Picture At...

Cheerleaders, Calendar...

Fan Friday: Pretty In...

As quickly as Brian Westbrook's breathtaking 64-yard punt return with 1:37 remaining in the game sent the crowd of 68,445 Eagles faithful into a frenzy, Lofa Tatupu's third interception on the day pulled the plug on any chance for a miracle finish on a rainy December day at Lincoln Financial Field.

The Eagles were unable to capitalize on a series of prime opportunities and were handed a 28-24 defeat at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks.

Westbrook took Ryan Plackemeier's punt at the Eagles' 22-yard line and raced down the left sideline in a play that was reminiscent of his 84-yard game-winning punt return in 2003 against the New York Giants. Three plays later, with the ball at the Seattle 11-yard line, quarterback A.J. Feeley threw his fourth interception of the game when his pass intended for Reggie Brown over the middle of the field was picked off by Tatupu.

Feeley was called upon to start for the second straight week as Donovan McNabb was again sidelined with a sprained ankle. And just like his first start the previous week in New England, Feeley's afternoon got off on the wrong foot as he threw an interception on the first play from scrimmage. Tatupu intercepted Feeley's pass intended for L.J. Smith, and four plays later Shaun Alexander scored on a 2-yard touchdown run to give the Seahawks an early lead.

The Eagles tied it at 7-7 when Correll Buckhalter burst up the middle for a 30-yard touchdown run. Westbrook, meanwhile, had a game-high 93 rushing yards, including a 29-yard touchdown run which put the Eagles ahead 24-21 in the third quarter.

Sheldon Brown forced a fumble early in the third quarter and intercepted Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck later in the third. The fumble was recovered by Trent Cole and led to Westbrook's go-ahead touchdown. Seattle answered when running back Maurice Morris took a pitch and went virtually untouched through the secondary and into the end zone to cap a 45-yard touchdown run.

The Eagles squandered key opportunities, including a first-and-goal from Seattle's 1-yard line at the end of the first half where the Eagles came away with no points. Philadelphia turned the ball over on downs again at the Seattle 44-yard line with two minutes left in the game.

- CHRIS McPHERSON

1946:

The last time two Eagles running backs had touchdown runs of 29 yards or more in the same game. Westbrook's 29-yarder and Buckhalter's 30-yarder were the first in 61 years when Bosh Pritchard had a 68-yard TD and Steve Van Buren a 31-yarder in a 49-25 win over the Boston Yanks at Shibe Park on Oct. 6.

3,040:

Brian Westbrook's career receiving yards following his 46 yards against Seattle. He became just the third Eagles running back to accumulate 3,000 receiving yards, joining Timmy Brown and Keith Byars.

"We're a team. I don't care how good or bad a person plays. If we lose, everybody plays bad in the end."
- Cornerback Sheldon Brown

"It's my job to see everything and protect the footbal. The bottom line is it's me."
- Quarterback A.J. Feeley

On third-and-7 from the Seahawks' 11-yard line and with only 23 seconds left, A.J. Feeley took the shotgun snap and checked down to Reggie Brown, who had run an inside post on the left side. Brown appeared open and Feeley threw the ball, but Lofa Tatupu intercepted the pass, his third theft of the game and Seattle's fourth for the game.