Russell Wilson on his, Seahawks’ passing: “We’re going to get better. And that starts with me”
Russell Wilson agrees with his coaches, you, me, your dog—your dog’s friends, too.
That latest interception he threw was one of his worst.
Ever.
“I had that bad play,” the Seahawks’ normally risk-averse quarterback said Thursday.
“That was bad.”
This bad:
Wilson’s 2016- and ‘17-esque relapse into trying to make something out of nothing with 16 seconds left in the first half Monday night against Minnesota did something he almost never does: Give away a chance for points.
“A lot of things we could’ve done different,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said Thursday of that entire red-zone sequence late in the half against Minnesota. “I know Pete (Carroll) said that he’s involved with that. I need to be better. And then Russ needs to be better.
“Russ knows that. I mean, just throw the ball away. I need to remind him, and so between the three of us, it should’ve never happened.”
The play fit the night Wilson had throwing the ball. The winningest quarterback over the first seven seasons of a career in NFL history finished 10 for 20 for a career-low 72 yards, no touchdowns and that horrid interception. He had the worst passer rating of his career, 37.9.
Yet his defense was so good, Seattle (8-5) won its fourth consecutive game anyway, 21-7. The Seahawks are a win Sunday at 3-10 San Francisco from clinching their return to the NFC playoffs, after missing them last season.
“I don’t worry about all the other stuff except for winning,” Wilson said. “That’s always been the case.”
This is his time for winning. Wilson improved to 21-8 in December. Since 2012, he has an NFL-best 42 regular-season wins in November, December and January.
The Seahawks didn’t need Wilson at his best against the Vikings; the league’s top-ranked rushing offense hasn’t needed his very best throwing against most foes the last two months. Chris Carson, Mike Davis, Rashaad Penny and Wilson—for 40 yards on a game-clinching scramble down the left sideline on a called pass late in the fourth quarter—rushed 42 times for 214 yards. Seattle won for the eighth time in 11 games.
The last time Seattle ran it 42 times in a game this season, its season high, was at Detroit Oct. 28. Wilson used the time to throw that running game afforded him and had the most efficient passing day of his seven-year career: 14 for 17, 248 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a perfect passer rating of 158.3 in the 28-14 win over the Lions.
That rushing offense averaging 153.8 yards per game was why Wilson entered the Minnesota game with the highest rating over a season in his NFL life through 12 games: 115.5.
So what happened against the Vikings?
“We just were off a little bit. Russ missed a couple of throws,” Schottenheimer said. “You’ve got to give Minnesota some credit. They did some nice things, a combination of just some of the pass rush, some of the things that they took away from us.”
Minnesota dropped extra defenders into coverage on most passing downs, sometimes allowing them to play combinations of man coverage underneath and zone coverage deep on pass routes.
“I think what you see is when they do that, it allows Russell to create with his legs,” Schottenheimer said.
That’s how Wilson got free around left end for that 40-yard scramble run with 4:56 left in Monday’s game. Seattle was leading only 6-0 and had second-and-8 at its own 39-yard line. Schottenheimer sent receivers deep and Wilson dropped to throw. There was no one past the pass rushers who lost containment of Wilson around left end.
“I was trying to get it to Nick (Vannett, his tight end) there, and then he did a good job of turning upfield and kind of pushing his guy out,” Wilson said. “Next thing I know, I saw the sideline, so I just took off and then try to get my knees up and keep going.
“Then, (Vikings safety) Harrison Smith came in there, so I had to make sure I got out of bounds.”
But not until he’d gained 40 yards, to the Minnesota 21. Four plays later Carson scored on a 2-yard run, and Seattle led 14-0. With the way the Seahawks’ defense was confusing and throttling Kirk Cousins and Minnesota’s offense, the game was over.
“The run late in the game that was created, that was a kind of a shot-type play where they played it really well,” Schottenheimer said. “They passed everything off and he was able to create. ... They were playing soft. They were trying what we call ‘pattern-match’ things, and they did that. They did a really good job. ...
“But, Russ found the lane off the backside and that was a big play in the game.”
Even after Wilson had his worst passing game.
That’s how the Seahawks are rolling right now.
“Just one of those days, we were just kind of off a little bit,” Schottenheimer said. “It would’ve been nice to hit David (Moore) on one of those go balls down the boundary. We were running it so well that there were limited opportunities to do it (passing), and we felt good about the running game.”
Wilson had officials rule his touchdown pass to Moore on one of those go routes down the right sideline late in the second quarter incomplete because Moore’s second foot came down after a catch out of bounds in the end zone, though it was debatable whether Moore had an uncounted foot on the ground as he secured the catch to begin with. But the replay official who has the authority to review all plays inside the final 2 minutes of the half didn’t review the play, or quickly did and deemed no further review was necessary.
If ruled inbounds, Seattle would have had a 10-0 lead into the fourth quarter instead of 3-0. And with the touchdown instead of the inexcusable interception six plays later Wilson’s passer rating Monday would have been 65.8. Not fabulous, but not historically low.
“I think on a couple deep plays, I think I under threw David on one of them. The other one we actually caught; I thought his left foot was down then right and then his left was out,” Wilson said. “I thought that was actually a touchdown on that one. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to review that one. I think there is a couple other plays here and there.
“Ultimately, we knew it was going to be a battle. We knew it was going to be a hard-fought game, they had a great defense, great defensive line. What we did to be able to finish the game was all that matters.”
Wilson was also without his top target the last seven seasons. Pro Bowl wide receiver Doug Baldwin missed third game in 6 1/2 years, because of a groin injury. He returned to practice Thursday, a sign he will play Sunday at the 49ers.
Wilson was asked what difference he noticed not having Baldwin to throw to, especially on third downs when Baldwin particularly excels. Seattle was 3-for-11 on those against the Vikings.
“Well, you always want Doug in because he’s one of the best receivers in the game. When, unfortunately, he can’t go in the game because he’s dinged up or whatever, it’s always different just because we’ve thrown so many touchdowns together and thrown so many completions, and done some of these great things together. ... We have that look where when he knows something, I know something and we have to go after somebody...
“We have one of the best receivers in the game in Doug Baldwin and you can’t cover him in the slot. You want him to be out there as much as you can, and I know he’s working his tail off every day. There’s nobody that works harder than he does. He’ll practice through everything, usually.
“I know he’s dying to get back out there, that’s for sure.”
Wilson probably feels the same about Sunday’s game in Santa Clara. He was back at his efficient best in the first meeting this season with San Francisco, two weeks ago. He completed 11 of 17 throws for 185 yards, four touchdowns and a passer rating of 140.9, fourth-highest for a game in his career, as Seattle won at home over the 49ers 43-16 on Dec. 2.
Plus, he’s 27-7 in his career coming off an in-season loss.
Not that Seattle lost to the Vikings, but the way Wilson played looked and felt like he did.
“If you want to be a championship team, you have to find ways to win even when it doesn’t look pretty,” Wilson said.
“There’s still so many ways that we can get better and we’re going to get better, and that starts with me. And I’m looking forward to that, and how many great things we have in store.
“We really believe in what we’re doing and how we’re doing it.”
This story was originally published December 14, 2018 at 7:35 AM.
