See how (and why) they run: How Russell Wilson, O-line benefit from Seahawks rushing more

For one of the few times so far this season, it was Russell Wilson at his improvisational best.

All set up by his Seahawks continuing their wildly successful, four-game string of consistently running the ball early.

It’s made life so much easier for the quarterback and his offensive line.

Early in the second quarter Sunday night in Seattle’s 27-3 smashing of the Raiders at crackin’ Wembley Stadium, the Seahawks had 7-0 lead and were set up for more by Frank Clark’s first of two sacks and forced fumbles. Wilson had center Justin Britt’s shotgun snap go off his hands. But because the Seahawks had run it seven consecutive times to begin the game on a 14-play, 86-yard drive to a touchdown, Wilson had time to pick up the ball and resume this play.

So much time. He could have boiled tea and baked crumpets, too.

Wilson spun around while grabbing the ball off the pitch. Then he looked to his right. Then he stepped up away from the Raiders’ pass rush. He looked left and found David Moore breaking free in the back corner of the end zone. (Yes, this was still the same play). Wilson’s pass and Moore’s route beat Oakland cornerback Daryl Worley to the back line of the end zone for a touchdown. Seattle led 14-0.

This 22nd NFL game in London was essentially over right there, on Wilson pulling a blinder, as the British say. These difficult plays have become his signature during his seven years as Seattle’s starter.

“You know, he’s been making plays like that his whole career,” veteran left tackle Duane Brown said. “I’m so happy he’s on my team. We know if we give him time, big plays are going to come. He makes big plays with his legs. Big-time arm. I can’t say enough about him.

“He’s one of the best quarterbacks to come through this league, to play this game.”

Brown called Wilson a once-in-generation quarterback.

But once upon a time — as in, last month — Wilson was a sacked-almost-once-a-drive QB.

Even though they had a new offensive coordinator, the Seahawks were looking like it was 2017. They were throwing 73 percent of the time in the first two games. Seattle had the worst running-back production in many NFL seasons and missed the playoffs for the first time in six years in 2017. And they were 0-2 to start 2018.

Then play caller Brian Schottenheimer truly committed to running Chris Carson and then, when Carson got a hip injury carrying a career-high 32 times for 101 yards in the week-three win over Dallas, Mike Davis.

In the last four games the Seahawks have run it 58 percent of the time. The result has been four games with three wins—plus one the Seahawks are still ticked they didn’t win last week against the Rams. A late holding penalty on guard D.J. Fluker pushed them out of winning field-goal range in that 33-31 loss.

Wilson was sacked a league-high 12 times in those first two, pass-a-rama games.

In the last four, while the offense has relied on the run, he’s been sacked seven total times. Wilson’s lone time sacked Sunday against Oakland came when he held onto the ball for too long.

This was how Seattle started Sunday: Tyler Lockett around right end for 7 yards. Carson up the middle for 1.

Carson off the left side for 7 yards. Carson right side for 8. Carson for a yard. Davis for 4. Davis for 3 more.

Seven runs by three different ball carriers in the first seven plays.

Then the Seahawks finished off a dominated team as they should: Nine runs in 11 plays to expire the final 8:18 of the runaway victory.

Seattle finished with 37 rushes and 155 yards on the ground. It’s the fourth consecutive game Seattle has run at least 32 times for at least 113 yards.

“We’ve put together really four weeks of pretty good football here, and I like the way that we’re playing, the style we’re playing with, how physical we’re playing, accented,” coach Pete Carroll said. “We ran for a bunch of yards again today, and finished the game on offense, running the clock out exactly how we love to do it.”

Wilson became the fourth quarterback in the NFL’s 22 London games since 2007 to throw for three or more touchdowns with a passer rating of at least 125. The others: Jacksonville’s Blake Bortles last year, Dallas’ Tony Romo in 2014 and New England’s Tom Brady in 2012.

Again, because Wilson had time to. Thanks to all this running.

“It’s hard for defenses to key on our passes. We are not one-dimensional,” Brown said. “We have a great balance. They are not able to pin their ears back and come off the ball.

“They (the Raiders) couldn’t fly off the ball the way they wanted to, because they had to respect the run.

“It’s a great feeling.”

For Wilson and his previously battered body, too.

“We want to be physical. We want to be physical at the point of attack. It keeps the down and distance short. It keeps it kind of manageable,” Wilson said. “I think ultimately it’s just an attitude. It’s a tone setter.

“We ran the ball six or seven times the first drive in a row, I believe, just to set the tone that way of it’s going to be tough to play us week in and week out. You know, that’s how we want to be...

“I think that we’re right where we want to be.”

SPIKED UP

The Seahawks spent much of the week trying out second pairs of game cleats with longer, detachable spikes to play on Wembley’s notoriously loose pitch. The grass was loosened more by a recent boxing match atop it, then rains Sunday before kick off.

So the players put on their longer spikes for the game. And the pitch suddenly was not an issue for Seattle. The only time a Seahawk slipped noticeably was when Lockett went down coming out of his break at the Oakland 20-yard line on an out route in the second quarter. Wilson looked at him, saw Lockett fall, then threw incomplete just past open and diving Doug Baldwin in the end zone.

Baldwin had a season high six catches for 91 yards. He said the new cleats helped him.

“I was a little unconfident in my molded cleats just because of the surface, the condition of the field,” he said. “So I went to the detachables, and I felt much more comfortable.”

TIGHT END ROULETTE

How was it that former University of Texas quarterback Tyrone Swoopes was rumbling down the middle of the field for 23 yards to the Raiders’ 2-yard line after a catch on the game’s opening drive?

Well ...

Nick Vannett, the starter with Ed Dickson on an injured list, did not dress for Sunday’s game. This past week he had a return of back pain he had this offseason. Carroll had said Friday here in England that Vannett was taking the day off from practice to rest but that he would be ready to play against the Raiders.

Dickson is not eligible to come off the non-football-injury list for leg injuries until after Seattle’s bye, for the game Oct. 28 at Detroit. Impressive rookie tight end Will Dissly from the University of Washington is on injured reserve following season-ending knee surgery.

Sunday, that left Swoopes making his first career start, with recently re-signed Darrell Daniels, a former UW wide receiver, as the second tight end. The Seahawks signed Swoopes from the practice squad on Saturday when it became apparent Vannett would not play. Swoopes was active for one game last season as an undrafted rookie free agent.

George Fant also played again as an extra tight end again Sunday. The reserve tackle played 12 snaps as a second tight end for run blocking the previous week against the Los Angeles Rams, his first 12 snaps of his three-year NFL career at the position.

“Nick couldn’t make it. He just kind of digressed as the week went on, and he couldn’t play,” Carroll said. “So Darrell Daniels got a chance to get in there for the first time with some real focus, and then Swoopes came through too. Made a big catch for us, and of course adding George in was a really nice job to get those guys rolled in there so they could contribute in a big way.

“The tight end thing, Ed Dixon’s going to be coming back to us. It will be great to see him come back.”

EXTRA POINTS

Running back C.J. Prosise was a healthy inactive for the second consecutive week and third time in four games. Seattle’s third-round draft choice in 2016 continued his fall out of Seahawks’ favor. ... Pro Bowl linebacker K.J. Wright missed his sixth consecutive game following arthroscopic knee surgery in August. The team hopes to have him back to make his season debut against the Lions in two weeks. ...The rest of the team’s inactive players on Sunday: safety T.J. Green, injured rookie defensive end Rasheem Green (ankle), defensive end Dion Jordan (core muscle), reserve guard Jordan Simmons. ... According to The Associated Press’ Josh Dubow: Ken Norton Jr.’s defenses over 43 games that he was the Raiders’ defensive coordinator from 2015-17 never held an opponent scoreless in a first half. In his first game as the Seahawks’ defensive coordinator against Oakland, Norton’s unit blanked Oakland in the first half. ... This was Pete Carroll’s 91st win as Seahawks coach, making him the team’s all-time leader in coaching wins. “I don’t care,” Carroll said.

This story was originally published October 14, 2018 at 7:04 PM.