Seattle Seahawks: Russell Wilson’s Best Game of the Season
By Paul Taylor
Russell Wilson looks to be getting back on track, as the Seattle Seahawks beat the Buffalo Bills in one of the most entertaining games of the year so far.
Leading up to the Seattle Seahawks‘ Monday Night Football clash with the Buffalo Bills, Pete Carroll had a strong message for the media. He predicted the offense was ready to turn a corner and get back on track.
In particular, the Seahawk’s head coach declared that Russell Wilson was as healthy as he’d been since he sustained the first of his trio of injuries back in Week 1. It turns out that this wasn’t just a case of Carroll being his usual upbeat. optimistic self.
Russell looked as calm and efficient as he’s been all year, setting season-highs for completion percentage, yards per attempt and quarterback rating. He had his second-most passing yards of the campaign – heck, he even rushed for his first touchdown since last season!
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Overall, you could argue that this was the 27-year old’s best performance yet in 2016. Certainly he felt good, as he told The Seattle Times‘ Larry Stone and the rest of the media following the game.
Wilson said: “I felt great out there, normal as possible. I felt strong, I felt quick, I felt fast.”
However, this doesn’t mean the three-time Pro Bowler is firing on all cylinders just yet. As evidenced on his touchdown run, his scrambling is still somewhat compromised.
Wilson acknowledged that he is still taking a cautious approach in this respect: “I didn’t try to push it too much. I tried to be smart.
“I had one run where I got the first down and I probably could have gone a little bit further but I looked back and I said: ‘Ah, let’s go down. I’ve been in the training room too much.’”
No doubt the Seahawks can’t wait for the Cincinnati, Ohio native to fully get his legs back, with the ground attack still struggling to return to its heights of previous seasons. The return of Thomas Rawls should also help in this respect.
Carroll admitted the team needs to improve in this area, and soon: “In the upcoming weeks, we need to run the football better to make something of this season.
“It’s no mystery. This is not the format we want, but it’s the format we have now.”
In the meantime though, the Hawks head coach is confident in airing the ball out, especially with Wilson continuing to get healthier: “We went after it in the throwing game tonight, and that’s the way it stayed.
“We felt we could go up and down the field the way we were playing. I’m really fired up by the way Russ bounced back.”
Wilson was helped by a sensational performance from Jimmy Graham. The tight end finished with a season-high eight catches, for 103 yards and two exquisite touchdown receptions.
However, as far as Graham is concerned, it was his quarterback who put him in a position to be able to make the two grabs. Talking about the first score, he said: “There’s no way (the pass could have been better).
“I knew it was great coverage, he’s holding my left arm. That’s a perfect pass. He’s my guy. It was an incredible throw.”
Graham went on to add: “I don’t think he gets enough credit for how tough he is. For what he has, most guys wouldn’t be in there.
“He’s got so much pride, and he’s unbelievable, man. He leads by example.”
Looking ahead, next Sunday night’s game against the New England Patriots will provide another opportunity for Wilson to prove he’s back on track. In truth, his recovery couldn’t be coming at a better time, as the Seahawks prepare for the eagerly anticipated rematch of Super Bowl XLIX.
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What did you make of Wilson’s performance against the Bills? Do you agree that he’s getting back on track, or do you still need to see more from him? Let us know in the comments section below.