Seahawks: 3 stats show just how dominant Russell Wilson was in 2019
By Geoff Shull
Seahawks QB Russell Wilson was phenomenal on late downs
As I eluded to in the intro, there aren’t many players in the NFL I would rather have when the play counts the most. In terms of the NFL, this often comes down to making third and fourth down conversions. Simply keeping the drive alive.
Fortunately, Russell Wilson was the best quarterback in the NFL on 3rd/4th downs, according to PFF.
Highest-graded QBs on 3rd/4th down in 2019:
— PFF (@PFF) July 9, 2020
1. Russell Wilson - 88.4
2. Kirk Cousins - 81.8
3. Drew Brees - 78.7
4. Matt Ryan - 78.0 pic.twitter.com/VLL3j6pHW1
When Wilson was given ample time to make a play, he almost always did. He wouldn’t just make a play, but he would make the right one. Sometimes this was scrambling for the extra few yards, others faking the run to throw the short pass. The last scenario is my favorite, the unexpected deep ball on a late down.
Some quarterbacks just have ‘It.’ By ‘It’ I am referring to the ability to be clutch in big moments. Russell Wilson doesn’t just have that ‘It’ factor, he is the king of ‘It’ factors. He lives and breathes for those big moments. He wants to be the one to have the final say, to go out and play the hero.
There aren’t many stats that can back this up more than fourth quarter comebacks and game-winning drives. Wilson had 4 fourth quarter comebacks and 5 game-winning drives last year. When the moment was the biggest, Wilson didn’t just show up, he led the team to victory. Wilson led the NFL in both of those stats last season.