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Victorious Seahawks in 'beast mode,' Eagles in least mode

Dec 2, 2011 - 6:01 AM Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - Running into a pile of players at the line of scrimmage, and with one defender's hands all over him, Marshawn Lynch somehow escaped.

Lynch's bruising 15-yard run in the opening quarter was only the first of four touchdowns scored by the Seattle Seahawks in a 31-14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night, but nothing was a better snapshot of the game and the team trying to tackle him.

Indeed, as Lynch shifted into "beast mode" at CenturyLink Field, the Eagles showed just how hard it's been for them to escape least mode.

"Marshawn was just a monster," said Seahawks coach Pete Carroll. "The attitude that gives our football team is infectious."

Lynch ran for 148 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries and the Seahawks (5-7) intercepted Vince Young four times, converting three into touchdowns to win for the third time in four games.

Playing from behind all the way, and continuing to have trouble getting out of their own way, the Eagles (4-8) suffered their eighth loss for the first time in four years.

Young's first throw of the game was intercepted, leading to Lynch's initial touchdown, and a pass in the third quarter went through Riley Cooper's hands and was returned 55 yards by Brandon Browner to set up another score.

But the back-breaker didn't come until David Hawthorne returned Young's third pick 77 yards for a touchdown with 4:24 left in the fourth quarter. It came as the Eagles seemed to be moving the ball with ease and turned a 24-14 lead into 31-14 for Seattle.

A bright spot for the Eagles, as it has been so often this season, was the performance of LeSean McCoy, who scored two more touchdowns to up his NFL-best total to 15.

McCoy rushed 17 times for 84 yards and a score and caught four balls for 49 yards, including a shovel-pass TD in the fourth quarter that had Philadelphia within 10 points.

Young, in his third straight start for Michael Vick, completed 17-of-29 passes for 208 yards. Cooper had five catches for 94 yards to lead all receivers, while disgruntled star DeSean Jackson netted four for 34.

Young's fourth interception -- by Browner again -- might have been turned into another Seattle touchdown, but Zach Miller was brought down in front of the goal line after a 25-yard catch.

Tarvaris Jackson, who passed for 190 yards and a touchdown, kneeled on the final play to run out the clock.

"The defense had four turnovers and we had none," said Tarvaris Jackson. "That was big for us. ... I think that was our best game as a team."

McCoy (toe) and cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha (knee) both played despite being questionable, but Asomugha left in the second quarter with an apparent neck injury after colliding with Seahawks wide receiver Mike Williams near the sideline.

Both players were jumping for a pass when Asomugha, with some contact from Williams, fell to the turf. Williams landed on top of him and Asomugha remained on the ground, shaken up, before walking off.

The Eagles lost for only the third time in their last 13 December games under Andy Reid. Afterward, the head coach shook off the notion that his players might not have given their best effort.

"I thought the guys played hard, we just did not make the plays we needed to," said Reid. "They are professional and they will continue to play hard."

Young was intercepted on the Eagles' first offensive play, a bad pass near the right sideline that safety Kam Chancellor corralled before it hit the ground.

Lynch scored five plays later, breaking through a pile of players near the line for a 15-yard run that evoked memories of his bruising 67-yarder in January's playoff win over the Saints.

Eagles linebacker Jamar Chaney looked like he had two hands on Lynch, but couldn't hold on. It was Lynch's eighth straight game with a touchdown.

"Obviously there were a lot of guys around him. No one could grab on," said Reid. "He squirted through."

Lynch scored his second TD of the game on the first play of the second quarter, giving Seattle a 14-0 lead. Lynch was untouched as he cut left-to- right through the line and busted out to the sideline for a 40-yard score.

Down but not out, the Eagles were picked up by Young's 47-yard pass to Cooper to the Seattle three-yard line. McCoy, the NFL's leading rusher with 1,134 yards, scored on a second-down run.

Steven Hauschka kicked a 49-yard field goal in the final minute to give the Seahawks a 17-7 lead at halftime.

Young's second interception was hardly his fault. It hit Cooper in the hands, but the receiver let it go through and Browner returned the pick 55 yards to the Philadelphia 30. Golden Tate got both feet down in the back of the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown catch six plays later to give Seattle a 24-7 lead.

McCoy's two-yard touchdown through the line on shovel pass came 2:09 into the fourth quarter, pulling the Eagles within 24-14. But any momentum was short- lived. After the Seahawks punted, Young led the offense to the Seattle 22 but his pass to McCoy was jumped by Hawthorne, who took it down the right side for a score.

Young avoided pointing fingers at any of his teammates, calling one of his picks "a bone-head play by me," and said he liked the way the Eagles were able to move the ball.

"We just have to man up and move on," he said.

Game Notes

Eagles lead the all-time series 7-6, but the Seahawks have won three of the last four meetings...It was the first game between the teams since November 2, 2008, when the Eagles scored 26 unanswered points for a 26-7 win...The Eagles are 35-15 under Reid in December...Vick, wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and tackle King Dunlap were among the Eagles players ruled out before the game.