SEATTLE — Quarterback Russell Wilson has often been outstanding in his two-plus seasons with the Seattle Seahawks.
Sunday was not one of those games.
Against the Oakland Raiders, Wilson suffered through one of his most disappointing NFL showings. Though Seattle ended up winning 30-24 at CenturyLink Field, Wilson’s quarterback rating of 63.9 tied for the second lowest of his career in a winning game, and was the seventh lowest overall.
Also, he completed just 17 of 35 passes, giving him a sub-.500 completion percentage for just the sixth time in 45 NFL games.
“I didn’t think I played well at all, for whatever reason,” said Wilson, Seattle’s third-year starting quarterback. “And usually I’d know why. Usually I know why if something is off, footwork wise, or whatever. That’s usually something I try to find out throughout the game so I can adjust.
“But for whatever I was trying to do, it just wasn’t working,” he said.
The thing is, it could have easily been much worse for Wilson. And, of course, for the Seahawks.
Early in the third quarter, Wilson threw a pass into the right flat intended for wide receiver Paul Richardson. The ball was nearly intercepted by cornerback D.J. Hayden and it would have almost certainly been returned for a touchdown, though Hayden could not hold on (as it turned out, the Raiders scored a TD on the next play by blocking a Jon Ryan punt).
Hayden had an apparent interception midway through the fourth quarter, but he bobbled the ball as he fell and the call was changed to an incompletion after a video review.
There were other very un-Wilson-like miscues, too. Early in the second period, he had tight end Luke Willson wide open in the back left corner of the end zone, but overthrew the pass. Moments later, the Seahawks later had to settle for a field goal.
“It was hard for (Wilson),” said Seattle head coach Pete Carroll. “It was hard to get in rhythm and he never really felt (comfortable) through the course of the game. Fortunately, everybody did their job around him and he wasn’t having to be the focal point. But he wasn’t as sharp as he’s been.”
Seattle had a makeshift offensive line due to injuries, and Wilson was often under pressure from the Oakland pass rush. But Wilson refused to put the blame on anyone but himself.
“I know that I can play better,” he said. “But the thing is, we won the game and that’s the exciting part. .. I know that I can play better and I know that I will play better.”
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