Third Down Improvements Propel Russell Wilson, Seahawks to NFC West Crown
SEATTLE, WA - For most of the first 30 minutes of action at Lumen Field on Sunday, much as they did during their first matchup against the Rams back in Week 10, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks' offense functioned like a boat drifting in the Puget Sound with a paddle.
Maintaining possession of the football for under 12 minutes, Seattle punted on three of its first six drives, including twice after just three plays. Producing a grand total of 116 yards of total offense, Wilson and his cohorts simply couldn't extend drives, continuing a season-long struggle by converting on just three out of nine third down opportunities.
At the controls under center, Wilson turned in another pedestrian performance for his standards, barely completing 50 percent of his pass attempts for 84 yards. He nearly threw a pick six on the opening drive of the game, as cornerback Darious Williams jumped a curl route by Tyler Lockett on third down and thankfully dropped the ball. Moments later, he missed Lockett wide open at the sticks on another third down and wound up taking a costly sack from defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day.
"I think we had some key third down opportunities early on - we almost got 'em and they made a couple of plays," Wilson told reporters after the game. "They're a great team, that's why they've been so good all year and they've had a great defense."
Luckily for Wilson and the Seahawks, as coach Pete Carroll has preached throughout his tenure on the sidelines, games aren't won or lost in the first half. Key adjustments were made in the locker room and one third down play in particular jump-started the home team's offense early in the third quarter.
Receiving first out of intermission, Seattle was held to just two yards on the first two plays of the drive. Facing 3rd and 8 from the Seahawks own 32-yard line, Wilson was forced to flee the pocket to his right after star defensive tackle Aaron Donald quickly penetrated into the backfield.
Keeping his eyes downfield as he rolled outside, Wilson looked to have room in front of him and may have been able to pick up the first down as a runner. But taking a more aggressive approach, he decided to take a downfield shot to David Moore, who had Williams against him in coverage on a go-route along the right sideline.
Keeping the ball high where only Moore could make a play, the receiver rewarded his quarterback's faith by reeling in the pass and getting both feet down inbounds for a crucial 45-yard completion. Moments later, Wilson ran the ball in from four yards out to give the Seahawks their first lead of the game at 13-6.
"You know, there's no fear in that throw. You just believe in it, you shoot it, you let it ride," Wilson commented. "He made a great catch and I tried to put it where only he could get it and you know he can catch man. He's really special, so anytime there's a contested catch, he's going to catch it. It really gave us momentum there."
Carroll agreed, identifying the play unprompted as a significant turning point that allowed Seattle to eventually pick up a 20-9 victory and clinch an NFC West title for the first time since 2016.
"The huge play to David Moore today kinda just turned things," Carroll stated. "Russ got out, hit him, then Russ got out again and hit Carlos [Hyde] on a first down conversion and then Russ runs one in for a touchdown. That was really, really big - the whole sequence was."
After Moore's outstanding reception, the Seahawks converted on four of their final seven third down opportunities down the stretch. Most notably, while nursing a four-point lead on the scoreboard, Wilson connected with star receiver DK Metcalf twice to move the chains, including a crucial eight-yard hookup on a shallow crossing route with 4:34 left on the clock in the fourth quarter.
Facing 3rd and 4 three plays later, Wilson found tight end Jacob Hollister in the back left corner of the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown, extending Seattle's lead to 11 points with under three minutes left to play. After forcing a turnover on downs defensively, the star quarterback took a couple of knees and the celebration was on.
"We kept playing and we knew it was going to be a battle," Wilson stated. "We ran the ball well when we needed to, we threw it and converted on our third downs in the second half."
Finishing five for eight on third downs overall in the second half, it was an encouraging step in the right direction for the Seahawks. The team entered Sunday's rematch near the bottom of the league with a 40 percent third down conversion rate for the season, ranked 23rd overall.
On the flip side, Seattle's surging defense also executed well on third down out of the break. Los Angeles only converted four out of eight third down chances and also failed on both of its fourth down conversion attempts, including when running back Malcolm Brown got stuffed by linebacker Jordyn Brooks at the goal line in the third quarter.
While it was from a perfect game and the Seahawks have to show they can sustain such third down success moving forward, after coming up inches short of an NFC West crown this time last year, it's a welcome development for a team that looks to be peaking at just the right time with the playoffs right around the corner.
