PHILADELPHIA -- A lot has changed since the Eagles last played at Seattle -- a 26-15 Seahawks win -- even if it was just a year ago.

Carson Wentz has blossomed into a top-tier quarterback, and the Eagles into an elite team. Two key members of the Seahawks' Legion of Boom -- cornerback Richard Sherman and safety Kam Chancellor -- are out with season-ending injuries. And the aura of invincibility surrounding CenturyLink Field has eroded some with the Seahawks losing their last two games at home.

They opened as six-point underdogs to the Eagles. According to ESPN Stats & Information, that's the most points an opponent has been favored by at CenturyLink Field since 2011, the year before Seattle drafted quarterback Russell Wilson.

The Eagles are mightier and the Seahawks more vulnerable than a year ago, but it would be a mistake to look at Seattle as anything less than a dangerous opponent.

"I mean, we're going against this week, coming up, an opponent that's been to the Super Bowl," coach Doug Pederson said. "They have been in the postseason. It's a talented football team, even despite the injury situation, and obviously you're playing in that loud stadium. Fans are crazy up there and they are excitable."

The Seahawks are 19-5 in December since Wilson and coach Pete Carroll joined forces in 2012 and 10-2 in home prime-time games. Wilson has been at his best late in the season. He has a 65 percent completion rate with 43 touchdowns to 15 interceptions (103 QB rating) in the month of December. An MVP candidate in his own right, Wilson has accounted for almost 86 percent of Seattle's scrimmage yards. Per the NFL, that would be the highest percentage for any player in the Super Bowl era. He leads the team in rushing (401 yards) by a healthy margin.

"He can run the designed quarterback runs, the zone reads, the keepers and things like that. And then he can also just create something off schedule," said defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who likened Wilson to former Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton. "He threatens the whole field. He'll boot one way [and] throw back the other [way]. You have to stay alive on everything. Our D-linemen are going to have to do a great job staying on their feet and staying alive. You can never go to sleep because if he's scrambling one way, there's a good chance he's coming back to you."

Seattle's secondary is not the same without Chancellor and Sherman, but the defense still has playmakers in safety Earl Thomas, linebackers Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright, and defensive end Michael Bennett. It is not just the personnel, but the Seahawks' scheme that gives opponents trouble.

"The thing about the scheme that they run and a number of other defenses run (featuring a steady dose of Cover 3), it kind of cuts your playbook in half. There's not a lot of Cover 2, none of those things, so it cuts your playbook in half, and they really just focus in on what you do against those teams," said Wentz. "They lock in on route concepts and they play really fast. Even though they're playing zone coverage they just match things so fast, and you've got to be cognizant of using your eyes and kind of moving guys when you can. But it's impressive. You can tell they're coached really well."

Wentz said quarterbacks can be a little more aggressive with the Legion of Boom ailing, and believes he and the team will benefit from having played at CenturyLink last season.

"It's a huge help. Last year, going in there, heard all about it, kind of knew what to expect," he said. "It's definitely loud, it's quite the atmosphere, it's a fun place to play. Most guys have been there now, so that'll pay dividends I think in our week of prep knowing how much we need to emphasize hand signals and communicating things non-verbally. I think that will be a big help for us."

They're hoping that experience, and their growth since this time last year, will lead to a different result in Seattle this time around.