Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks back to what they do best in passing game
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is one of the smartest players in the league at his position, and it’s obviously a position that requires a certain level of mental and physical tools to succeed. Wilson clearly has both in spades, but what eluded him this season was the deep ball that made the Seahawks so dangerous last season. Marshawn Lynch has always been an elite back for his team, and his rushing ability helped set up big passes to the likes of Golden Tate and Jermaine Kearse.
Ever since the Percy Harvin trade, Paul Richardson was expected to be that deep threat, but he could only haul in a 21-yard pass on just two targets and exited the game with a sprained knee in the third quarter on that incomplete target. Richardson didn’t need to establish himself as a threat against the Carolina Panthers weak secondary, though, as Kearse was the main guy in an excellent display against the likes of Roman Harper, Colin Jones, and Bene Benwikere.
Wilson has one of the strongest arms in the game, one of the most accurate deep balls (he was the most accurate deep passer in 2013), and is one of the least-mistake-prone quarterbacks in the game. His offensive line was excellent yesterday, as Wilson was only forced to face pressure on five occasions. Aside from the Charles Johnson matchup on Justin Britt that always favored Carolina, the Seahawks offensive line decisively won the battle up front in the passing game, and it’s no surprise that just two of Wilson’s passes were defended in a pickless outing.
The Seahawks superstar quarterback completed 15 of 22 passes for 268 yards, averaging a ridiculous 12.2 yards per attempt with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Wilson averaged 7.7 yards per attempt in the regular season with just seven interceptions, so the clean, efficient numbers he posted against a subpar secondary come as no surprise. 12.2 yards per attempt, though, is just jaw-dropping, and it’s incredible that Wilson was able to complete 68.2% of his passes despite averaging a whopping 17.9 yards per completion.
Last season, the Seahawks passing attack was one of the most efficient in the NFL, and Russell Wilson’s obvious skills were at the center of a season that included 8.2 yards per attempt, 26 TDs, and nine picks (it’s worth noting that Wilson had two less picks in nearly 50 more attempts in 2014). What made the ‘Hawks passing attack so efficient last season was a combination of a spread-the-ball-around approach that saw them get many targets involved without a true No. 1 guy, as well as an aggressive and elite vertical passing attack.
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The Seahawks were able to get back to what they do best against the Panthers secondary, and that 17.9 yards per completion/reception tells a good part of the story. Kearse has always been a big, reliable vertical target for Wilson due to his excellent speed as a long-strider and steady hands. He needed just three targets to turn in three receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown, and his TD gave them a game-breaking 14-7 lead in the second quarter that the Seahawks would not relinquish.
Tight end Luke Willson has always been one to watch due to his own elite size/speed combo, and he was a valuable, big field-stretcher for the Seahawks yesterday. He also caught all of the passes thrown at him, turning four receptions into 68 yards and a touchdown. No pass-catcher had more than four targets yesterday, and it was Kearse who clearly led the team in the big-play department. The ‘Hawks didn’t have their best day on the ground with just 14 carries going to Lynch and an average of just 3.6 yards per carry overall, but they scored 24 points as an offense on the strength of their highly efficient passing game.
Going forward, the passing attack will be of the utmost importance for the Seahawks, because they’ll have to continue to show that they can consistently make plays in the passing game. Their elite secondary and pass rush are dangerous to even the Dallas Cowboys or Green Bay Packers, but it’s still important for them to do be at their best as a passing attack. That means taking care of the ball with a smart QB, as well as getting big plays from the likes of Kearse and Wilson.
The Seahawks did a nice job of spreading the ball around and taking advantage of a defense that shut down the run but couldn’t get their sieve of a secondary to stop Kearse and the Seahawks from averaging over 12 yards per pass play. The Panthers didn’t get any sacks, while the Seahawks had three passing TDs, including two outside of the red zone. Per Pro Football Focus, Wilson was 4-6 for 145 yards and two touchdowns on passes that traveled at least 20 yards, and that speaks volumes to the way the Seahawks vertical passing game owned the Panthers on Saturday.