It’s popular to blame the offensive line, Pete Carroll and the offensive calls or the overrated Legion of Boom for the Seattle Seahawks troubles this season, but it does feel like a lot of people are trying really hard not to talk about the fact that Russell Wilson is having a bad season.
Wilson had his worst game of the season in the loss to the Arizona Cardinals, dropping the Seahawks three games behind Arizona in the NFC West, putting their playoff aspirations in serious risk. Wilson was 14-of-32 in the game for 240 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He posted his lowest passer rating, QBR and completion percentages of the season, and it wasn’t even close. He did rush for 52 yards and was sacked a couple of times.
The Seahawks offensive line is ranked last in the NFL in pass protection, but 20% of the 33 times he’s been sacked are attributed to his mistakes in either not getting out of the pocket or not recognizing the blitz coming. The offensive line took a hit when the Seahawks made the trade to bring over Jimmy Graham and has slowly gotten better, and that’s helped show that Wilson also has a part to play in his team’s troubles, despite the meaningless projected career high in passing yards.
His touchdown percentage is down, like his passer rating. His sack percentage and interception ratio are both up. It does make one wonder about Wilson’s ceiling and whether or not he has already peaked as a pocket passer and as a quarterback, although everything seems to be a struggle this season for the Seahawks, no exclusions. Maybe the pressure of the big contract is getting to him as well. Whatever it is, the Seahawks are hoping this is part of an overall team decline, and not a telling sign about Wilson’s future progress or decline.
Maybe it’s just one game that has created unnecessary worry. Wilson is throwing at a higher completion percentage than ever before this season. The Cardinals game just might have been a rough Sunday Night, nothing more. However, it’s a situation worth watching closely, as the Seahawks prepare for a tough 7-game finish that includes another game against the Cardinals, St. Louis Rams, Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers.