The Seattle Seahawks will have a losing record for the first time in a decade with Russell Wilson at quarterback.
Tuesday night’s 20-10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams secured cemented the fact Seattle will finish under .500 for the first time since a 7-9 campaign in 2011. Wilson would be drafted by Seattle in 2012 and beat out free agent signing Matt Flynn for the starting job as the Seahawks would go on a massively successful run over the last nine seasons.
They had similarly high hopes this season to get back on track after changing offensive coordinators from Brian Schottenheimer to Shane Waldron. But the success hasn’t been there and the offense and Wilson have struggled more than ever.
A mallet finger injury to his right hand forced Wilson to miss games for the first time in his career as surgery was needed in October. He returned to the lineup after missing just three games and really struggled in his first few games back in the lineup. But even before the injury, the Seahawks offense showed it still had issues. They’ve been among the worst teams in the league all season long on third down, time of possession and total offensive plays run.
So why is it that Wilson and the Seahawks just can’t get going on offense?
“We’ve got to be better in all phases. It’s the first thing. And it’s not just one guy,” head coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday. “But I know that it took Russ time to get back after the time off and it wasn’t quite the same. He could still play and do well and do lots of things but he just had to work his way through it. I think it’s a little bit of everything. You know, we got to get to be better in all ways. I think it’s been a challenge in that regard, physically.”
The inability to stay on the field offensively has been a part of the team’s issues. They rank 30th in the league in third down conversion rate at 34.0 percent. Wilson is the second-worst quarterback in the league this season at completing passes on third down. He’s completing just 46.1 percent of his passes on the key down, which ranks higher than only Taysom Hill of the New Orleans Saints for quarterbacks with at least 20 attempts.
While the numbers got worse immediately following Wilson’s injury, they’ve been poor in those offensive categories all season. Against the Rams on Tuesday, Wilson was 4-of-9 for 25 yards with a sack on third down. Seattle converted just 3-of-11 times on third down in the game.
“It has been frustrating because we feel like we have parts that can get this done, but the consistency just hasn’t been there. There’s been a real common theme and that’s been that third down stuff that’s been a factor,” Carroll said.
So is the finger still causing problems for Wilson? He has denied it being an issue ever since he returned to action and Carroll said that Wilson isn’t telling them any differently either.
“Everything we see and what Russ is reporting too is that he feels fine. He really does feel fine,” Carroll said. “He’s working hard in practice. He doesn’t miss a rep. He’s doing everything that he normally does. His warm-ups are now totally complete. All of that. This is a finely tuned athlete that’s still got a finger in his throwing hand that is on the rebound. I’m not trying to give him an excuse and he would never want that. He feels like he’s fine. But the fact remains he’s still got to deal with that. But he’s not showing any signs of it. We don’t see anything in practice or in any of his turns that he takes. And so I go with what Russ says. Russ feels fine.”
If it’s not the finger for Wilson, then he’s just not performing to the levels he’s become accustomed to performing at during the first nine years of his career.
Seattle’s defense is fourth in the league in points allowed despite being on the field 35 minutes a game. They’re averaging just 20.1 points per game this season. They’re doing enough for the Seahawks to win. It’s Wilson and the offense that are falling short.