Seahawks embarrass Eagles, 31-14

SEATTLE - It's one thing to get embarrassed by Tom Brady and the Patriots. Losing 31-14 to Tarvaris Jackson and the Seattle Seahawks takes a new level of mistakes and apathetic play.

The Eagles managed it Thursday night, piling another atrocious loss on to a season already full of them. Playing in front of a national audience, the Eagles had no fight, an ominous sign for embattled coach Andy Reid. There is little Reid has done this season to impress management or fans, but until recently, at least, he could claim that his players still fought for him, still believed in his leadership.

But the team's effort has waned for two consecutive weeks as the Eagles have seen their season go to waste.

"I'm sure right now there's a lot of people out there ticked off, and they should be," said defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins. "I could just imagine from a fan's standpoint what it looks like watching the games. It probably looks like lack of effort, lack of fundamentals, lack of everything."

At 4-8, Jenkins said you find out who has pride, who "has it in 'em." Did the Eagles have it Thursday night?

"No. We didn't," he said. "We came out here, we got it handed to us. There's no excuses at all."

Adding to the list of problems in a season that keeps sinking to deeper depths, cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha left the game with a concussion, and special teams ace Colt Anderson, one of the only overachieving Eagles, tore his left anterior cruciate ligament, ending his season as he played before a large contingent of friends and family who came from Montana to watch him.

Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch ran with a ferocity that the Eagles couldn't match, and the Seahawks took advantage of the Eagles' offensive mistakes. The lasting image of the game came early, and it symbolized the team' gap in desire. Moments after Vince Young threw an interception on the Eagles' first offensive play, Lynch bulled into a swarm of bodies deep in Eagles territory. Seemingly contained and stopped, he somehow burst free, racing for a 15-yard touchdown, a 7-0 lead and an emphatic statement about toughness that reflected on both Lynch and the Eagles.

Lynch finished with 148 yards rushing, including a 40-yard burst, and two touchdowns on 22 carries.

"He fights for every yard incredibly hard," said Seattle center Max Unger. The Eagles couldn't say the same, though many tried.

"We have a good group of guys. I can't complain a bit about the effort or the work ethic they put forth," Reid said.

"This is Eagle football. We don't give up. We never give up," said defensive end Trent Cole.

There was much evidence to the contrary. Team president Joe Banner declined to answer questions about the state of the team.

Young threw four interceptions, the first three leading to Seattle touchdowns. With the Eagles driving and threatening to close to within three points late in the fourth quarter, linebacker David Hawthorne took an errant Young pass 77 yards for a game-sealing touchdown.

Young said he lost track of the linebacker on the play. "Just a boneheaded play on my part," he said.

Jackson hit 81 percent of his passes against a porous defense and compiled a 137.0 passer rating.

Playing across the country with just four days' rest, this was always going to be a difficult trip for the Eagles. But against a losing team with a struggling offense, it was still a winnable game. Even with the playoffs out of reach, Eagles players consistently said they expected to fight and play hard this week. They didn't.

"We try to plead our case, but fans ain't trying to hear that. Fans want to see it. They want to see it out there on the field," Jenkins said. "It's awful. When it comes down to it, it's awful, and we're not giving our fans anything right now."

Wide receiver DeSean Jackson, a week after dropping two potential touchdowns appeared uninterested in playing Thursday. The defense missed coverages and tackles.

"You've got to have that desire in you that makes you play for more than just money," Jenkins said. "Right now, we just ain't manning up."

As the clock wound down, Seattle was in scoring position, but they had mercy on Reid, taking a knee instead of punching in another touchdown. Eagles fans will not be so generous. The question for the rest of the season is whether Eagles management reacts with the same level of anger.