Pack Pros: Russell Wilson 'Cooks' Up a Winning Recipe
Seattle Seahawks fans, in an effort to convince their favorite team to open up its offense and allow quarterback Russell Wilson utilize the full range of his talents, popularized the hashtag "Let Russ Cook" during the offseason.
Sunday, in their 2020 opener against the Atlanta Falcons, the Seahawks did just that.
Turned loose by coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, Wilson cooked up a winning recipe by completing 31 of 35 passes for 322 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions to lead a 38-25 Seattle victory and highlight a productive first week of NFL action among NC State alumni.
In addition to his prolific passing, Wilson also ran the ball three times for yards.
He finished the game with 30,056 passing yards and 4,022 rushing yards in his nine-year professional career, making him only the second quarterback in NFL history to top the 30,000 passing yard and 4,000 rushing yard plateaus.
The only other player to accomplish the feat is Hall of Famer Steve Young.
DK TD! @dangerusswilson to @dkm14 for a 38-yard @seahawks TD on 4th down.
— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2020
📺: #SEAvsATL on FOX
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/DTlgEUZamw pic.twitter.com/Hf744rf2VR
“We’re going to be a tough football team to beat, and I’m excited about it,” Wilson said in a postgame video conference. “We can score a lot of points and we’ve got a lot of great players.”
Wilson wasn't the only former Wolfpack quarterback to have a big game Sunday.
Philip Rivers competed 36 of 46 passes for 363 yards and a touchdown in his debut with the Indianapolis Colts. He was also intercepted twice, however, and his team lost 27-20 to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Rivers' first touchdown pass as a member of the Colts came to another State alumnus, running back Nyheim Hines, who also scored a rushing touchdown. Hines led the Colts with 28 yards on seven carries. He also caught eight passes for 45 yards.
✌️
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) September 13, 2020
(that's how many TDs @TheNyNy7 has so far today)
📺 CBS | #INDvsJAX pic.twitter.com/D7VFethGop
Among the other notable Wolfpack performances in Week 1:
- Safety Josh Jones led the Jaguars with 12 tackles in the win against the Colts.
- Linebacker Germaine Pratt led the Cincinnati Bengals with 12 tackles in a 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
- Defensive tackle Justin Jones had two tackles for the Chargers, who were playing their first ever game in their new stadium.
- Defensive end T.Y. McGill, activated from the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad only Saturday, contributed a tackle, a half sack and two quarterback hurries in the Eagles' 27-17 loss to Washington.
- Punter A.J. Cole recorded a 42.3 average on three kicks, with a long of 52 yards in the Las Vegas Raiders' 34-30 win against the Carolina Panthers.
- Safety Juston Burris had two tackles for the Panthers.
- Among offensive linemen, center Garrett Bradbury (Vikings) and guard J.R. Sweezy (Cardinals) both started for their respective teams while tackle Will Richardson played a reserve role for the Jaguars.
- Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (Patriots), defensive end James Smith-Williams (Washington) played but didn't record any stats. Quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett (Colts) and Ryan Finley (Bengals) didn't play while defensive end Kentavius Street was listed as inactive by the 49ers.
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