Seattle Seahawks: Studs and duds vs. 49ers in Week 17
By Samuel Teets
Stud: Russell Wilson, QB
Early in the year, Wilson stuck his name into the middle of the MVP conversation. That whole campaign fell apart during the second half of the season when Wilson’s play fell off dramatically. In the first nine weeks of the season, Wilson posted a passer rating over 100.0 in all but one game. Since then, Wilson crossed the 100.0 mark just once.
Against the 49ers, Wilson posted some decent numbers. He completed 25 of 40 pass attempts (62.5%) for 233 yards and two touchdowns. That equates to a 95.1 passer rating. However, Wilson’s completion percentage, yards, and passer rating from Week 17 were all below his season averages.
Still, Wilson is listed as a stud and not a dud. Without him, the Seahawks would flounder. Whether he plays excellent or just average, Wilson is undoubtedly Seattle’s MVP.
Dud: Coaching
With 22 seconds left in the game and the ball within San Francisco’s 1-yard line, the Seahawks lost track of the play clock and got called for a delay of game. The penalty moved Seattle back to the six, where the Seahawks failed to complete a pass from until the final play of the game.
The Seahawks are a talented team that is dealing with some injury issues, but the team still outperformed expectations this season. However, Seattle is still very inconsistent and vulnerable. Some weeks, the team is on fire. Other weeks, the squad doesn’t look like they showed up to play.
Seattle’s offense did not seem interested in playing football until the second half, and then they get that ridiculous penalty at the end of the game. The delay of game turned an easy game-winning quarterback sneak or Lynch dive into a pass play that came up one yard short of the end zone.
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Pete Carroll and his coaching staff put the Seahawks in a great position over the past two seasons, but sometimes they overlook things that make you scratch your head. If the coaching staff practiced better awareness on Sunday night, the Seahawks would be the third seed in the NFC.