Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson had as brilliant game in Washington on Monday night, and he left his fallen opponents awestruck.
In fact, Washington safety Ryan Clark said after the game that he thinks Wilson is the single best player in football.
“We got beat by a better team,” Clark told the Washington Post. “We got beat by, as far as I’m concerned this weekend, the best player in the NFL. Russell Wilson made every play he had to make for his team to win, and we didn’t.”
Wilson completed 18 of 24 passes for 201 yards, with two touchdowns, and he added 122 yards on 11 rushes and another touchdown, all while not giving up a single turnover.
Still, “best player in the NFL” may be overstating it. Peyton Manning was a near-unanimous MVP last season, and his numbers so far this year are only very slightly behind his numbers last year (Manning is on pace for 5,172 yards and 48 touchdowns this season). And J.J. Watt is playing like not just the best defensive player in the NFL, but one of the best defensive players ever.
Clark was speaking in the aftermath of Wilson carving up Washington’s defense, so a bit of hyperbole is unsurprising. For now, let’s call Wilson one of the best, with the potential to get to the very top.