For the Seahawks to have a good 2017, Russell Wilson needs to play better

The Seahawks offense has been bad so far in 2017. Russell Wilson is normally terrific. But should he share some of the blame for the ineffectiveness so far this season?

The Seahawks’ Russell Wilson has completed a high percentage of his throws his entire career. His career completion percentage is 64.5 percent. The seasons he had his lowest accuracy rate were 63.1 percent in 2013 and 2014. This season through just two games, Wilson is completing only 56.1 percent.

Sure, he has had receivers drop several passes, but that always happens. The fact is, Wilson has thrown passes high or simply to the wrong place. He could have easily had three interceptions against the 49ers. One could have been returned for a touchdown.

The receivers, like Tanner McEvoy and Jimmy Graham, need to be better. But so does Wilson. And if he isn’t better, the Seahawks will lose to the Titans on Sunday and many games after that as well.

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Of course, maybe some of the problem with Wilson’s accuracy can be blamed on his having to rush his throws due to the awfulness of the offensive line. And not to make excuses for the line, but Wilson should probably be used to this after several years of having a bad line in Seattle.

Wilson is being sacked 9.1 percent of his attempts so far this season. While this is still terrible, this is actually less than the years between 2013 and 2015. Wilson was sacked less in 2016 when he couldn’t move as well. This might lend credence to the oft-given theory that Wilson simply holds on to the ball for too long.

Part of this is the Seahawks rely on Wilson to create plays most quarterbacks cannot. Like the touchdown pass against the 49ers. Wilson made that play happen by scrambling around and making time.

Like seriously. That’s just freakish. Wilson has to do these kinds of things for Seattle to be successful.

The reality of 2017

But he has also been lucky this year. An interception or two versus the 49ers would have changed the game. Once, he simply threw the ball up towards the endzone and Doug Baldwin had to knock it away. Wilson cannot keep playing this way for Seattle to be good.

Maybe he really does miss Jermaine Kearse. That the Seahawks traded Kearse and kept McEvoy now seems insane. But Wilson did always rely on Kearse a bit too much.

Wilson’s quarterback rating through two games is 76.3. Or, to put it another way, 16 points less than the worst season of his career. But to look at this positively, it means Wilson will most likely get better this year. He will have games where he almost single-handedly wins games. Because he has proven to be that good over his career.

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The key thing for Seattle, though, is Wilson needs to start being that good again in week three. And continue being so nearly every week thereafter. Or there is a possibility that Seattle will not make the playoffs in 2017.