Seattle Seahawks: Studs and duds vs. Cardinals in Week 16
By Samuel Teets
Stud: Bobby Wagner, LB
There’s at least one man on the Seahawks you can trust to play great every week. Wagner tied with K.J. Wright for a game-high 13 tackles. The perennial All-Pro inside linebacker also contributed a sack and two tackles for loss.
Wagner always plays at an exceptional level. He’s deserving of a highlight spot almost every week, but he often gets left off because we expect him to play well. When the rest of Seattle’s defense is in shambles, Wagner’s stardom shines even brighter.
Dud: Russell Wilson, QB
Once an MVP candidate, Wilson is now miles behind Lamar Jackson in the award race. While Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens took care of business against their lackluster division rivals, the Browns, Seattle failed to do the same with the Cardinals. I agree that Wilson is a future Hall of Fame player, but his mediocre play down the stretch this season is inexcusable.
Wilson doesn’t have bad games in the same way that Daniel Jones or Baker Mayfield do. Instead, he has mediocre games where he puts up decent numbers but falls short of his potential. Sunday’s matchup was one of those games.
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Against the Cardinals, Wilson completed 51.6 percent of his pass attempts for 169 yards and a touchdown. He lost 36 yards on the five sacks he took and posted a 78.6 passer rating. That’s not a bad game, especially considering some of the performances we’ve seen from other quarterbacks this season. However, it’s fair to expect more out of Wilson. He came up short in what should have been an easy game for Seattle.