“Let Russ cook.”
That’s been the rallying cry among Seahawks fans who have clamored for their team to open up the offense and allow Russell Wilson to operate a more pass-oriented and aggressive attack, especially early in games.
Those fans got their wish Sunday.
Wilson came out firing early and often in the Seahawks’ season-opening 38-25 road win over the Falcons, producing one of the finest performances of his career while leading his team to an unusually fast start and comfortable victory.
Wilson completed each of his first 12 passes and finished 31 of 35 for 322 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. His career-high 88.6 completion percentage is tied for the third-highest single-game mark in NFL history among all quarterbacks with at least 35 pass attempts. And of the mere four incompletions he threw, one was a dropped pass and another came on a play that could’ve been flagged for pass interference.
It was a practically flawless outing.
But the storyline Sunday wasn’t that Wilson delivered a sensational performance. He’s had many such performances over the course of his eight-plus seasons in the NFL. It was that Seattle deviated from its usual establish-the-run mantra that’s been so prevalent throughout coach Pete Carroll’s tenure, and instead put the ball in its superstar quarterback’s hands from the get-go.
Just how different was the play-calling Sunday? Here are some stats that illustrate the contrast, with the help of situational pass-rate data from Sharp Football Stats:
- Wilson dropped back to pass on 11 of the 14 offensive plays on his team’s first two drives, leading the Seahawks to a pair of touchdowns for an early 14-3 lead. It was a rare quick start for a franchise that, over the years, has so often slogged its way through the first few quarters before finally unleashing Wilson in the fourth quarter to attempt a late-game comeback.
- Seattle called passes on 18 of its 25 offensive plays in the first half, which ranked third among all teams in Week 1. That 72% first-half pass rate was a sharp contrast from last season’s 56%, which ranked 27th in the league.
- The Seahawks finished the game with 38 passing plays (including three sacks) and just 20 rushing plays. Their pass rate of 65.5% ranked fifth among all teams in Week 1. It was a massive increase from last season’s 54.3% pass rate, which was 27th in the league.
- Wilson dropped back to pass on seven of his team’s 12 first-down plays in the first half. That was good for a 58.3% pass rate in such situations, which ranked 10th among all teams in Week 1. Seattle’s first-down pass rate in the first half last season was 47.6%, which ranked 19th.
- Wilson dropped back to pass on all 12 instances when it was second-and-7 or longer. Seattle called passing plays in just 62.8% of those situations last season, which ranked 22nd.
Furthermore, the increase in pass attempts was part of a more aggressive offensive approach that was evident throughout the game, beginning with Seattle’s opening series.
On his team’s very first snap, Wilson was sacked for a 9-yard loss. In recent years, the Seahawks have often taken a more conservative response to negative yardage on early downs. Second-and-long run calls have been a common source of frustration among Seattle’s fanbase.
But this time, they continued to attack. With offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer calling another pass on the ensuing play, Wilson fired a 15-yard completion to Tyler Lockett that set up a manageable third-and-4 situation. Wilson then hit Greg Olsen for another completion to move the chains.
Later in the opening drive, a holding penalty and a sack pushed the Seahawks into a third-and-23 from about midfield. But instead of just trying to gain back some of that yardage underneath, Wilson launched a deep pass downfield that drew a defensive pass-interference call. The 41-yard penalty set up first-and-goal and led to a touchdown two plays later.
The biggest example of aggressive play-calling, of course, was Wilson’s fourth-down touchdown pass to DK Metcalf on the opening drive of the second half. After being stopped on third down, Seattle faced a fourth-and-5 from the Atlanta 38. Over the years, Carroll and the Seahawks have typically been one of the more risk-averse teams on fourth down. Not once over the past three seasons has Seattle gone for it on fourth-and-5 or longer when in the lead, according to Sharp Football Stats. But sticking with the theme of the day, the Seahawks bucked the trend. Metcalf raced down the sideline on a vertical route, and Wilson lofted a perfectly placed deep ball to the standout second-year receiver to extend Seattle’s lead to 21-12.
Yet another instance of a more attacking approach came early in the fourth quarter, after three consecutive penalties backed the Seahawks into a second-and-29 at midfield. Once again, Seattle let Wilson keep firing. Wilson completed a 10-yard pass to Lockett and then a 17-yarder underneath to rookie Freddie Swain, which moved the ball to the Atlanta 23 and set up a field goal that made it a three-possession game.
And even with a comfortable 13-point lead later in the fourth, the Seahawks kept their foot on the gas. On a second-and-9 with just over six minutes remaining, Wilson hit Metcalf for a 37-yard gain on a slant-and-go route that keyed a game-sealing touchdown drive.
It remains to be seen whether all of this was just a one-game anomaly, or whether Seattle truly plans to unleash Wilson like never before. It can be foolish to draw conclusions from Week 1. And even if there is a significant uptick in the Seahawks’ pass rate this fall, it likely won’t reach 65.5% on a regular basis. Carroll loves to run the ball and surely would like to get his backfield more than just the 16 carries it received in the season opener.
However, keep in mind that Wilson himself vocalized this past offseason that he’d like the offense to be more aggressive. And what transpired Sunday in Atlanta sure seems to suggest that Carroll and Schottenheimer, at least to some degree, are on board.
IS CARSON SET FOR EXPANDED ROLE IN PASSING GAME?
With so much talent and depth at wide receiver and a formidable one-two receiving punch at tight end, this is likely the best group of pass-catchers Wilson has ever had. That depth was on full display Sunday, with Wilson completing passes to nine different players.
As expected, Metcalf (four catches for 95 yards) and Lockett (eight catches for 92 yards) led the team in receiving. But it was a bit surprising that running back Chris Carson finished third in both targets and receiving yards.
After averaging just 2.5 catches per game last season, Carson caught six passes for 45 yards and a pair of first-quarter touchdowns Sunday. He had four catches on Seattle’s first two possessions, highlighted by a 19-yard screen pass he took into the end zone for his second score of the opening quarter.
The fact that three of Carson’s receptions came on running-back screens and another on a designed play-action rollout could indicate that he’s set to become an increased factor in the passing game this season. And doing so would make sense on multiple fronts.
For one, running-back screens are a way to mix in some easier and safer passes among the downfield shots Wilson likes to take. And screen passes are also a great change-of-pace tactic to punish defenses for blitzing, which in turn could benefit Seattle’s pass protection and help keep Wilson upright.
ADAMS SHINES IN SEAHAWK DEBUT
Seattle made a major splash in late July by acquiring superstar safety Jamal Adams from the Jets for a steep price that included two first-round draft picks. With a spectacular Seahawks debut Sunday, Adams showed why Seattle was willing to give up so much for the versatile 24-year-old All-Pro.
Adams made plays all over the field and finished with 12 tackles, including two tackles for loss. He also was a major factor in the pass rush, producing two quarterback hits and a third-down sack off the edge in the second quarter. His standout performance earned him the third-highest Pro Football Focus grade among all safeties in Week 1.
Adams delivered a slew of highlight-reel moments, but two excellent open-field tackles stood out in particular. The first one came on a swing pass to running back Todd Gurley, with Adams closing the gap in blazing speed and launching into him behind the line of scrimmage. And when Calvin Ridley took a wide-receiver sweep on the Falcons’ following possession, Adams raced to the edge and made a diving tackle for a 1-yard loss.
DON’T FORGET ABOUT WAGNER
With Adams garnering the bulk of the attention for his dazzling Seahawks debut, it could be easy to overlook what a great performance Bobby Wagner had. The five-time All-Pro received the highest Week 1 PFF grade among all linebackers in the league, showing no signs of slowing down as he enters his ninth season at age 30.
Wagner posted seven tackles, including a tackle for loss where he burst into the backfield and stopped running back Brian Hill on third-and-short in the opening quarter. He also had two pass breakups, highlighted by a textbook play late in the first half when he reached around tight end Luke Stocker to swat away a pass.
CONCERNS ON DEFENSE?
Despite the exceptional individual performances from Adams and Wagner, the Falcons moved the ball with relative ease for much of the afternoon. The Seahawks’ defense gave up 506 total yards, including 450 yards through the air to Matt Ryan and Atlanta’s talented receiving corps. Those numbers were inflated by Seattle being content to surrender underneath yardage in the fourth quarter, after the game was mostly out of reach. However, the Seahawks still yielded 305 total yards through the first three quarters.
Seattle limited the damage by stopping the Falcons on all four of their fourth-down attempts, three of which came in Seahawks territory. Defensive end Benson Mayowa was responsible for two of those stops, blitzing off the edge to bat down a fourth-and-3 pass in the first quarter and chasing down Ryan for a red-zone sack on fourth-and-2 late in the third quarter.
Mayowa and the Seahawks deserve credit for turning back Atlanta in those situations. But on the other hand, if the Falcons had converted just one or two of those fourth downs, it might have been a different game.
It’d probably be an overreaction to start panicking about Seattle’s defense after just one week. Keep in mind that the Seahawks also allowed a season-high 510 yards to the Falcons in a victory last season, and that was with backup Matt Schaub at quarterback. Atlanta probably has one of the most prolific aerial attacks in the league. And even with the Seahawks’ pass-rush concerns, their secondary is too talented to struggle like this on a regular basis.
Nevertheless, it certainly wasn’t the most encouraging start to the season for Seattle’s defense. The next two matchups against the Patriots and Cowboys, for better or worse, should provide a much clearer and more complete picture.
CVT Sports 