PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A cross-country trip to Philadelphia for a Monday night game in the snow hasn’t exactly been a formula for success. Then again, these are not the same old Seattle Seahawks.

Using big plays on defense, including interception returns for touchdowns by Andre Dyson and rookie Lofa Tatupu, and smaller ones from their top-ranked offense, the Seahawks routed the Eagles 42-0.

Neither are these the same Eagles who made the last four NFC championship games. Philadelphia (5-7) has been torn apart by injuries and the Terrell Owens affair and played its worst game since becoming an NFC force in 2001.

Certainly a better fight was expected. Yet the Seahawks (10-2) dominated from the outset, winning their eighth straight game, tying a team record set in 1984. They gained only 194 yards overall – the Seahawks were averaging 386 – but didn’t need to do much after taking a 35-0 halftime lead.

Seattle, which got two short touchdowns runs from NFL rushing leader Shaun Alexander, sort of sneaked its way to the top of the conference and barely survived the New York Giants last week.

The only negative came when Dyson, after he returned Ryan Moats’ fumble 25 yards for another touchdown on the first play of the second half, sprained his left ankle. Dyson was carried off the field by several teammates.

It was Philadelphia’s worst loss since a 38-0 flop against Seattle to open the 1998 season. Indeed, as Dyson scored on his fumble return, the Linc pretty much emptied out.

The majority of fans stayed that long only because the Eagles retired Reggie White’s No. 92 at halftime.

The Eagles, who had six turnovers, were shut out for the first time since 2003 when Tampa Bay beat them 17-0 in the first game in the new stadium. It was the Eagles’ worst home loss since they were beaten 49-0 by Green Bay in 1962.

And, they lost running back Brian Westbrook with a sprained foot.

It didn’t take along for Seattle’s powerful offense to begin the scoring. Well, it actually took more than eight minutes on the opening drive, a relentless march featuring four third-down conversions and 16 plays. Matt Hasselbeck, flushed to the right, found Bobby Engram wide open in the end zone for an 11-yard pass after Philadelphia’s Jeremiah Trotter and Quintin Mikell collided.

Three plays earlier, Trotter’s illegal contact penalty negated Mikell’s interception in the end zone.

When the Eagles staged their own productive drive, it ended ignominiously as Mike McMahon stared straight at receiver Greg Lewis. Dyson read the pass perfectly, picked it off and raced 72 yards down the left sideline for a 14-0 lead.

Early in the second quarter, McMahon threw directly to middle linebacker Tatupu, who raced 38 yards to make it 21-0. It was the first time in 30 years the Eagles have allowed two interception runbacks for scores in a game, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

Alexander got his first TD of the night on a 2-yard run one play after Koy Detmer, in for the inept McMahon, had his pass tipped by the omnipresent Tatupu and picked off by Michael Boulware. He added his league-leading 22nd touchdown of the season with a 1-yarder set up by Hasselbeck’s 42-yard pass to D.J. Hackett.

Alexander finished with 49 yards rushing, the first time in more than a year he had fewer than 60 yards. But he didn’t play in the second half.

Owens finished his team suspension for conduct detrimental to the franchise. He was deactivated before the game, as he will be for the rest of a season spiraling out of control.

AP-ES-12-06-05 0012EST


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