Russell Wilson’s gotten a little lost in the discussion of rookie quarterbacks thanks to the lofty draft positions and on-field exploits of Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, but he’s put together a fine first season in the NFL.
He had a particularly good day in Chicago last Sunday. He threw a touchdown pass to Golden Tate with 32 seconds left in regulation to give the Seahawks a lead that the Bears were able to turn back into a tie with a quick drive for a Robbie Gould field goal that sent the game to overtime. Wilson ran for 28 yards and completed all three of his pass attempts on the team’s first overtime possession, which ended with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Sidney Rice. It was a big win for the Seahawks in the playoff race and a big win for them after several previous failures to pull out close games on the road.
Wilson finished the day completing 23 of 37 passes for 293 yards and added 71 rushing yards for good measure. All of that was enough to make him the NFC offensive player of the week for the first time this season.
It’s also the first time in a long while that the Seahawks have been able to claim a winner of the award. Running back Shaun Alexander was the last Seahawk so honored, way back in 2005 during a season that ended with a Super Bowl berth.