Three things we learned from the Seahawks’ thrilling win over the Eagles in Week 15

SEATTLE – Drew Lock threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba with 28 seconds left, and the Seahawks rallied for a stunning 20-17 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on a rainy Monday night on at Lumen Field to snap a four-game losing skid.

The victory keeps the Seahawks (7-7) in the NFC playoff chase with three games left in the regular season.

The Eagles (10-4) have lost three in a row.

Three immediate impressions from the game:

Play of the Year

It was a nice moment for Drew Lock and the spark the Seahawks desperately needed.

We’re talking about the block. The Lock Block. You remember that, don’t you?

All right, all right. You’d be forgiven if, by the end of the game, you’d forgotten that play from early in the third quarter.

Back to that shortly.

The real moment – the most memorable moment of the season for this Seahawks team – was Lock’s inch-perfect throw to Smith-Njigba on the right edge of the end zone for the game-winning score in the closing seconds.

Lock, standing in the middle of the field as the celebration ensued all around him, looked straight up to the sky, rain falling, and soaked in the moment.

Making his second straight start in place of the injured Geno Smith (groin), Lock played a mostly cautious game Monday night.

The Seahawks offense looked disorganized and discouraging for most of the first half, and the Seahawks were probably fortunate to trail just 10-3 at halftime.

Lock’s best play came early in the third quarter after he handed the ball off to Kenneth Walker III. Lock then ran some 25 yards around the right edge and used his left shoulder to deliver a key block of Eagles safety Eli Ricks at the goal line, giving Walker space to finish off a nifty 23-yard TD to tie the score at 10-10.

But that was before the Seahawks got the ball back with 1:52 remaining, trailing 17-13 and needed to cover 92 yards to take the lead.

And that’s exactly what they did.

Lock completed 5 of 10 passes for 92 yards on the winning drive. Before the touchdown pass to JSN, Lock found DK Metcalf for a 34-yard gain on the right sideline on a third-and-10 play to keep the drive alive.

Lock, despite the slow start, completed 22 of 33 for 208 yards with the one touchdown pass and no turnovers.

Just as important for the Seahawks going forward, Walker finally looked heathy and refreshed, rushing for 86 yards and one TD on 19 carries, and he added 26 yards on three catches.

The City of Love

Seahawks safety Julian Love intercepted a Jalen Hurts pass in the end zone with 8 minutes left, the first highlight in a solid bounce-back day for the Seahawks defense.

Love then intercepted Hurts again with 6 seconds left on an even better play, keeping both feet inbounds as he was falling into the Seahawks sideline to seal the Seahawks’ victory.

The Seahawks defense deserves a little credit, all things considered.

Yes, the Eagles have hit a rut, getting blown out in back-to-back losses to the 49ers and Cowboys. Like the Seahawks, the Eagles were desperate for a win Monday night.

But the Eagles still have one of the most potent offenses in the NFL, with a quarterback in Hurts who is dangerous with his arm and his legs, two top receivers, one of the best offensive lines in the league … and the most unstoppable play in the game today.

In Philly, they affectionately call it the Brotherly Shove, and the Eagles used it to take a 17-10 lead in the third quarter on Hurts’ 1-yard touchdown run.

The Seahawks shut them down after that.

Love got the start at safety Monday as part of a new-look Seahawks secondary.

Pete Carroll had indicated there might be some changes for the Seahawks defense, and there were indeed some notable ones for the starting secondary tonight.

Two of those were a result of injuries, with rookie Devon Witherspoon (hip) and veteran Jamal Adams (knee) both inactive. Artie Burns and Julian Love started in their place, giving a distinct new look to the back end of the defense.

The one noninjury change: Michael Jackson replaced Riq Woolen as the starter at right corner.

Woolen, after his breakthrough rookie season, has had an up-and-down sophomore season this year. His tackling has been suspect at times, and Carroll had singled out Woolen for biting on a play fake last week that allowed 49ers tight end George Kittle to score a touchdown.

Jackson, on first blush, played well at right corner. He was matched up regularly on Eagles star receiver A.J. Brown, who was held to five catches for 56 yards.

Playoff hopes afloat

It all seems possible now, doesn’t it?

The Seahawks are back to .500, right in the thick of the NFC wild-card chase, with three winnable games remaining on their schedule.

They’ll head to Nashville this weekend to play a Titans team that has injury questions of its own at quarterback.

After that, the Seahawks play their final home game on New Year’s Eve against a Steelers team that has lost three in a row.

The Seahawks then close out the season with a trip to Arizona to play the Cardinals, who at 3-11 are in the hunt for the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.

Indeed, the Seahawks have a lot to play for and, suddenly, reason to believe.