The Seattle Seahawks have gotten off to a great start to their season and currently sit second in the NFC West at 5-1. Behind phenomenal coaching by Pete Carroll, the Seahawks have a 4-1 record in one-score games. Unsurprisingly, the main catalyst behind their success has been the phenomenal play of quarterback Russell Wilson.
Russell Wilson: The Key to the Seahawks Success
Numbers Don’t Lie
Russell Wilson has been great and is certainly deserving of being an early-season MVP candidate. Wilson currently sports a 72.5% completion percentage, the highest quarterback rating among qualifying players, and a 14:0 touchdown to interception ratio. Wilson is clearly in the upper-echelon of NFL quarterbacks, and was rewarded this off-season with a four year, $140 million contract extension.
Additionally, Wilson is only the third quarterback since 2007 to have a quarterback rating over 100 in his first six games of the season. The other two quarterbacks were Aaron Rodgers in 2011 and Tom Brady, in 2007, with both winning the MVP award at the season’s end. Russell Wilson has had an incredible start to the season, and the numbers certainly back up the fact that he is invaluable to the team’s success.
Outside Help
The offense that Wilson has orchestrated has been nothing short of phenomenal. The Seahawks are in the top 10 for points scored and passing yards, and are in the top five for total yards. While the offense has been phenomenal, the Seahawks defense has been lackluster. Despite the addition of Jadeveon Clowney in September, their defense ranks in the bottom half of the league for yards and points allowed. Wilson has had to work harder to win games and has had to carry a fairly inconsistent defense to wins for much of the season.
Wilson’s production has been helped by the improvement of his offensive weapons this season. Coming into this season, there were a lot of question marks surrounding the Seahawks offense. Without Doug Baldwin, there was question as to whether Tyler Lockett could become a reliable receiving option. D.K. Metcalf is a rookie who struggled with a knee injury during the pre-season, Will Dissly was an unproved fourth round pick in 2018, and running back Chris Carson had struggled with ball security and injuries in past seasons.
All of these players have taken massive leaps forward in 2019. Lockett has emerged as a star receiver and has already put up nearly 500 yards with three touchdowns. Metcalf has had a strong start to his rookie year, as he got over his knee issues to amass over 300 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his first six games. Prior to tearing his Achilles, Dissly has four touchdowns and had emerged as a reliable target in the Seahawks offense. Meanwhile, Carson has already put up over 500 rushing yards and has taken a lot of pressure off of Wilson in the backfield. While Carson has still struggled with fumbles, his efficiency on the ground has been incredibly important for the Seahawks.
Conclusion
Overall, Russell Wilson is certainly an MVP candidate and truly the key to the Seahawks success. Early in his career, Wilson was bailed out by the incredibly “Legion of Boom” defense that led Seattle to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances in the mid-2010s. Now, Wilson has proven he can lead the Seahawks on his own. Wilson is on pace to have his best season to date, and it is clear that the Seahawks fate resides in his hands.
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