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The Seahawks came within inches of winning the NFC West. Instead, they’ll have to travel to the East Coast to face the strangest division champions in recent memory. 
How the Seahawks got here
The Seahawks traded paint with the 49ers at the top of the NFC West after beating them 27-24 on a last-second overtime field goal in Week 10. So it was only fitting that the battle for the division came down to the final plays, seconds and inches of the season.
The Seahawks spotted the 49ers a 13-0 halftime lead but came back to cut the deficit to 26-21 in the fourth quarter with the help of some typical Russell Wilson heroics and the high-flying, Beast Mode-enabled return of Marshawn Lynch. But the final Seahawks drive ended with two fourth-down receptions getting stopped at the 1-foot line: the first to convert 4th-and-10 with the Seahawks out of timeouts, the second to hand the 49ers a victory.
How the Eagles got here
The Eagles overcame an extinction-level injury event at the skill positions to win four straight games against the huddled masses of the NFC East, culminating in a wild 34-17 Sunday victory over the Giants. Team MVPs down the stretch included Fletcher Cox, Carson Wentz, some skill-position no-names like running back Boston Scott and receiver Greg Ward Jr. and, of course, Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett.
When the Eagles have the ball
With Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, Nelson Agholor, Zach Ertz and Jordan Howard all injured, the Eagles field a bunch of backs and receivers each week who look like they belong in the fourth quarter of a preseason game, not the first round of the playoffs. Injuries on the offensive line to Lane Johnson and (on Sunday) Brandon Brooks have placed even more strain on the dusty corners of the depth chart.
But backs like Scott and Miles Sanders keep getting the job done as runners and receivers, while Wentz overcame a midseason reluctance to throw to any of these randos and now gets the ball downfield to targets like Ward and Dallas Goedert. 
Three returning defenders should help the Seahawks corral this band of misfits. Jadeveon Clowney had a statistically quiet Sunday after returning from a core injury, but he spun away from some blockers to disrupt plays in the backfield. Shaquill Griffin, the Seahawks’ best cornerback, also returned against the 49ers. And free safety Quandre Diggs, who recorded three interceptions after coming over from the Lions at the trade deadline, is expected back from a high-ankle sprain for the playoffs.
When the Seahawks have the ball
You know what the Seahawks offense looks like. They run the ball too often, though it was fun to see Lynch crashing into defenders and leaping into the end zone again. Russell Wilson buys time in the pocket and searches for slippery go-to receiver Tyler Lockett or rookie Madden Create-a-Player DK Metcalf. Sometimes, the offensive line even blocks someone. As Sunday night illustrated, no lead is safe from Wilson, but the Seahawks offense can also dissolve into a puddle of three-and-outs for halves at a time.  
The Eagles secondary is shockingly slow-footed, but they make up for it by frequently misplaying deep balls in the air. The Eagles run defense is stout, and the cross-your-fingers coverage technique works against Daniel Jones and Dwayne Haskins types (or when Garrett decides to “rotate” Amari Cooper out of the game on the final drive), but Lockett and Metcalf should be open all day if Brian Schottenheimer decides to allow Wilson to fling it to them.
Recent history
The Seahawks overcame one of their flat offensive performances to beat the Eagles 17-9 in Week 12, holding the Eagles (then in the early stages of their skill-position plague) to just three points until the final seconds of the game.
Digest Sportsbook: Seahawks -1
Take the Seahawks now before the house realizes what a foolish mistake it has made.
Bottom Line 
The Seahawks didn’t deserve a first-round bye: Lopsided losses to the Ravens, Rams and Cardinals revealed them to be a notch below the top contenders in the NFC. It was inevitable that their close-game luck would run out. But the Seahawks do deserve the easiest matchup a wild-card team could ask for: the injury-ravaged winners of a cupcake division. 
The Eagles overcame the odds and showed a lot of poise and determination to get this far. They won’t be going any further.