NFL
By: Edwin Duodu
The Seattle Seahawks suffered their eighth loss of the season. It’s the first time the Seahawks have lost eight games since drafting Russell Wilson. Wilson has also lost four straight games this season, which is also new territory for him. After the game, he admitted that the dreadful performances this year started with him first.
“We’re in a storm, and I believe that we have to keep going. And the only way to get to the other side is just believing that the waters are going to calm down a little bit, and we’ll be able to get through it,” Wilson said after the game.
Head coach Pete Carroll also did mention that his quarterback and the team’s performances have to improve.
“He’s got to do better; we all got to do better,” Carroll stated.
It hasn’t been entirely on one player, however. It’s evident that the offensive line needs some severe remaking and once again struggled on Monday night, allowing two sacks and forcing Wilson into hurrying his reads. Seattle currently ranks 3rd in the league with sacks given up, with 35. There was little to no running game, with Russell Wilson, Alex Collins, and Deejay Dallas only combining for 34 yards against the Washington Football Team’s defense. Still, it’s appalling to see how low Wilson has stooped since returning from injury.
It’s understandable for a player to struggle to get into his groove after not playing the past three weeks. Even for his standards, it’s still shocking, to say the least. His return was supposed to spark a playoff run, especially with a crowded NFC Wild Card race. However, six of the teams in the hunt own losing records, which means a couple of wins would’ve given the Seahawks a possible claim to a playoff spot as any team right now.
Unfortunately, those aspirations look unattainable. The offense has been in shambles aside from the defense, which has played better over four weeks. Wilson has completed 38% of his 3rd down passes this season, which is part of what constitutes the Seahawks currently averaging under 25 minutes of possession. That is dead last in the league.
What’s also head-scratching is the invisible connection between DK Metcalf and Wilson. Since the Week 9 bye, he has recorded eight catches for 70 yards. He’s seen 20 targets in the last three weeks, which isn’t terrible, but not great. Wilson mentioned that the game plan was to get Metcalf the football against Washington, but he was doubled on those routes, and the play had to be made elsewhere. Still, the production for the targets he’s receiving isn’t good enough. It also doesn’t help to know that Tyler Lockett has seen relatively an equal amount of targets as his teammate but has 200 more yards to show for it.
Wilson’s effort to get his best receiver the football also didn’t come on the game’s last play. Instead of looking towards the back of the endzone for Metcalf, he opted to force a ball into the middle for Freddie Swain. Kyle Fuller baited the quarterback into making the throw and intercepted the pass to seal it. We may not know what Russell Wilson saw on that play, but we know that regardless of the situation, DK Metcalf wasn’t allowed to impact when his team needed it the most.
Something, however, is wrong with Russell Wilson. It’s also apparent that the Seahawks can’t just rely solely on him to win them games anymore. There needs to be an offensive scheme change, and better personnel needs to walk into the team. As far as the rest of the season goes, the team might have to endure more struggles and losses until an effective plan is implemented.
