Seattle Seahawks: 3 Bold predictions for Week 1 vs. Bengals
By Samuel Teets
2. Lockett and Wilson will keep their perfect passer rating
If you didn’t know, Wilson posted a perfect 158.3 passer rating when targeting Tyler Lockett last season. According to Matt Calkins of the Seattle Times, no other quarterback has maintained a perfect passer rating while targeting a receiver at least 15 times since 2002. However, it will be hard for the duo to keep that perfect mark this season.
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With Doug Baldwin gone, the Seahawks are very limited when it comes to experienced pass. catchers. Teams will surely single out Lockett for double coverages and tougher assignments. Starting with the Bengals, I believe teams will make it significantly harder for Wilson and Lockett to connect.
That being said, Seattle’s duo usually hit on a lot of long passes. Lockett has great speed which makes it hard for cornerbacks to stick with him unless there’s safety help over the top. These long passes, several of which result in touchdowns, allow Wilson and Lockett to keep their perfect passer rating.
The Bengals defense was the worst against the pass last season, allowing 275.9 passing yards per game. Wilson is a top-10 if not a top-five quarterback in the NFL right now. While he might not post great total numbers in Seattle’s run-heavy offense, I believe Wilson will deliver several perfect strikes to Lockett on Sunday, and the duo will keep the 158.3 passer rating.