Russell Wilson: Most Valuable Magician
Harry Houdini, Penn and Teller, David Copperfield, David Blaine. Those are some of the most famous magicians to ever walk this planet.
Their acts ranged from making a person disappear to escaping certain death to seemingly impossible card tricks. These magicians drop jaws wherever they go.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has that same effect on the football field with his daring escapes from pass rushes, other-wordly accuracy, and an unmatched perserverance. He displays the skillsets of some of the greatest magicians of all-time.
Wilson attaches himself more to the skillset of Houdini, who was most famous for his death-defying escapes. Houdini escaped from a straight-jacket while suspended above a drop that would certainly kill him, as well as from the belly of a whale while completely wrapped in chains.
Several times on Monday Night in Santa Clara, it looked as if it was over and that the Seahawks would lose, allowing the 49ers to build upon their division lead and remain undefeated.
Wilson himself made a critical error, floating a pass near the end zone in overtime that was picked off and ran back for a big return by 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw.
Time after time, it looked as if Wilson was finally stumped, had finally met his match. After all, the 49ers came into the game with the best rated defense in the NFL.
In the first possession of overtime, after Wilson was mysteriously sacked to make it 3rd and 16, the odds were against Seattle converting a first down. Even on that sack, Wilson more or less escaped, but the referees mystifyingly called him down by forward progress.
Unphased, Wilson dropped back on that long third down and was under fire almost immediately from a ferocious San Francisco pass rush. He rolled out to the right, just out of the grasp of the 49ers defensive line and just in time to whiz a pass to Malik Turner right at the first down line. Turner then turned up field for a big gain.
Most fans thought all was lost when Wilson threw the previously mentioned interception, giving the 49ers good field position while needing just a field goal to win it. Like Houdini, who also seemed to have no hope of escape in some stunts, Wilson was given another opportunity thanks to the Seahawks defense.
It took an incredible three possessions by Seattle in overtime to finally seal the win. On 3rd and 3 with time slipping away, Wilson escaped pressure again and scrambled for 18 yards, putting the Seahawks well within Jason Myers’ field goal range.
With no timeouts left, Wilson led the drive to the San Francisco 24-yard line and spiked it in time for Myers to nail a game-winning kick as time expired.
In the third quarter, Wilson threw a pass into the endzone that looked like an illusion, like a pass to nobody. Out of nowhere, Jacob Hollister, while being held, dove backwards and caught the touchdown pass against his helmet, giving Seattle their first lead of the game at 14-10.
Time after time, Wilson makes throws that look like they are intended for the Invisible Man, only to have them fall perfectly in the receiver’s arms, like he had slipped the ball into their hands while watchers were distracted by something else.
Russell Wilson just makes magic.
David Blaine is known for his levitation tricks, seeming to be suspended in-air without aid of wires or furniture. Wilson does his own version of levitation, which is levitating the football in such a manner that makes it nearly impossible to intercept it.
Tyler Lockett’s touchdown catch against the Rams is a good example of the pure sorcery that is Wilson’s arm.
The ball stays on a near-impossible trajectory as it finds Lockett in the back of the end zone, with a spectacular catch in his own right.
Russell Wilson deserves to be the number one candidate for the Most Valuable Player award in the NFL at this point. He is a magician and a master at work. He leads the NFL in passer rating, passing touchdowns, touchdown percentage, and most importantly, game winning drives, with five.
This game had shades of the 2014 NFC Championship Game against the Packers when Wilson played far from his best game, yet continued to battle and finally came out on top against long odds. He worked his magic then and he worked his magic against the 49ers.
"Probably the craziest game I've ever played in," Wilson said after the game
Monday's performance was certainly not Wilson’s best game but he found a way to get out of the straight jacket, shake loose the chains, and lead the Seahawks to a season-defining victory in Santa Clara.
