Hawks Eye View Week 5: Despite Sluggish Start, Russell Wilson Remains MVP Front-Runner
The 2020 Seahawks are breaking and tying records left and right this season, almost to the point where they've lost their shock value. Russell Wilson is the MVP front-runner, DK Metcalf is the most productive receiver week in and week out, and the underrated Tyler Lockett and Chris Carson are finally getting their due.
Despite their frequency, the wins are no less valuable, and Seattle got a big one in a 27-26 conquest over the Vikings. It's their first 5-0 start in franchise history.
While the Seahawks eked out another close win against another competitive passing offense, what's also notable about this Week 5 win is that it was Russell Wilson's worst showing so far.
Vikings outside linebacker Eric Wilson sacks Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson during the second quarter.
Of course, "worst" is relative - he's still the best quarterback in the league and threw three touchdowns - but the Vikings secondary shut down the Seahawks passing game in the first half. Overall, Wilson had his lowest completion percentage, fewest yards, and lowest passer rating of the season. Rather than indicating signs of struggle on the offense, this highlights the strengths of Minnesota's defense who, like Seattle, has developed a solid reputation over the past decade. And despite difficulties in the first half, Seattle made halftime adjustments that got them 27 points on the board in the final two quarters, including all three passing touchdowns that were needed to clinch the win.
It's not just Wilson who had a less-than-average week: passing leader Dak Prescott's season has come to a painful close, while MVP competitor Josh Allen lost his first one to the Titans with two interceptions and posted his lowest passer rating so far this season. While several teams have emerged as dominant in the league, October marks a month where the competition gets tougher, creating challenges for the league's top passers.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is comforted by his teammates after an injury in the third quarter against the New York Giants.
Perhaps that's also because defenses are also solidifying across the league, with the Seahawks are a prime example of that. In fact, two of those Seahawks touchdowns were direct results of defensive turnovers - without them, they would have likely lost on Sunday night. While the defense has been criticized for allowing the most passing yards in the league, the defense actually ranks third in DVOA this week, three spots up from sixth in Week 4. That means the Seahawks are the third most balanced team in the league after the Ravens and the Buccaneers according to Football Outsider's meaningful evaluation based on weighted metrics.
While analysts have been legitimately concerned about the Seahawks defensive capabilities, it seems that they've just needed time to get adjusted - after all, there are a great deal of new additions to a roster that only had a month to build chemistry in an abbreviated training camp. Compared with Wilson's strong relationships with a returning cast of receivers, the fact that Seattle's defense lost Bruce Irvin, Marquise Blair and Jamal Adams in a matter of weeks is tied for the second most turnovers in the league is pretty remarkable. After all, the turnovers are what changed the game this week, not however many yards were allowed on defense.
Thankfully, the defense was able to help out when the Seahawks offense was neutralized in the first half. As per lead reporter Corbin Smith’s halftime report on Sunday, Wilson "absorbed four sacks and finished with just 31 passing yards in the first half despite completing all six of his pass attempts."
Smith points out two important factors in a lackluster first half: the Seahawks were put in too many third and long situations, which just made it difficult to convert and keep the drive going, and that the offense has largely relied on Wilson’s passing prowess instead of leaning on Chris Carson’s running skills against a suspect front seven. With weather playing a factor, leaning more on the ground game may have been a wise strategy. There wasn’t anything Wilson did wrong - the sacks allowed, surprising play by Minnesota's secondary, and offensive game plan influenced how much he could do - but a dreadful first half indicates that the superstar still needs the right conditions to reach his MVP potential.
Whether it’s because defenses have had the time to develop or teams are suffering from injuries, it’s clear that the weeks ahead may be a little tougher for quarterbacks throughout the league. And while Wilson is definitely going to have a “bad” game eventually, the important thing is that he can overcome prior struggles and drive his team 94 yards to win a game in under two minutes in true “Mr. Unlimited” fashion.
