Somber Reality Settles in For Russell Wilson, Seahawks

INGLEWOOD, CA - Trailing by seven with under seven minutes left to play and facing a critical 3rd and 14 situation from the Seahawks 38-yard line, Russell Wilson took the snap from shotgun out of an empty set, pump faked at the top of his drop, and then launched a deep ball down the left sideline.

Beating All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey on a go route, receiver DK Metcalf had nothing but green separating him from the end zone. All Wilson needed to do was throw one of his patented rainbows and let the speedy wideout run underneath it and the game would instantly be tied.

But as has happened far too often for Wilson this season - before or after he underwent right middle finger surgery in October - the star quarterback didn't get enough mustard on the pass, badly underthrowing Metcalf and forcing his receiver to slam on the brakes. With the ball floating well short of his target, Ramsey recovered and knocked away the pass, leading to a Michael Dickson punt.

Having already been subjected to several poorly thrown passes by Wilson earlier in the game, an increasingly frustrated Metcalf pressed both of his hands to his helmet in disbelief as he walked toward the sidelines.

"I felt like I was a little short on DK on that one. I wish I could have had that one back," Wilson said after the game.

Such erratic accuracy has become a consistent problem for Wilson this season, particularly on third down. On an evening where Seattle's dim playoff hopes crashed and burned in a 20-10 loss at SoFi Stadium, no play may have been more emblematic of why things have gone south so fast for the franchise in 2021.

Continuing a season-long trend, the Seahawks converted on only three out of 11 third down opportunities, which played a crucial role in losing the time of possession battle again by nearly 11 minutes. In those critical situations, Wilson completed only four out of nine passes for 25 yards, averaging just 2.78 yards per attempt. Three of those completions went to Metcalf, but the throws he missed to his star receiver were far more impactful in a close game with minimal margin for error.

Aside from failing to hit Metcalf on what looked to be a guaranteed touchdown, Wilson didn't get quite enough air on a corner route by his star receiver in the second quarter and Ramsey got a fingertip on the third down pass. In the third quarter, after Metcalf came open on a quick slant on third down, Wilson badly airmailed his target with the ball going several feet over his head.

Both drives ended in punts for the Seahawks as a visibly upset Metcalf could be seen storming the sidelines and at one point brushing off Wilson as well as coach Pete Carroll. After the game, both Wilson and Carroll downplayed the notion there was friction between the quarterback and receiver.

"Me and him were super connected, you know, so there was nothing wrong or anything like that. He had a great week," Wilson said of Metcalf. "He was focused. Highly focused. Ready to roll. So, there was nothing there.”

While there may or may not be tension brewing between Wilson, Metcalf, and Carroll, there's no question the Seahawks offense is broken. Whether fair or not, much of that falls on the quarterback's shoulders, as he hasn't been able to deliver when his team needed him to most.

Failing to throw a touchdown for the third time in six games, Wilson's performance on Tuesday in Los Angeles was especially aggravating. Seattle accomplished nearly everything it needed to do to win in a tough road environment, doing a quality job overall protecting the quarterback, running the football effectively, and creating a pair of turnovers while sacking Matthew Stafford four times on defense.

But just like in Green Bay and Washington last month, Wilson didn't hold up his end of the bargain when the defense did more than enough to pick up a road victory. The common denominator in each of those games has been poor quarterback play, and unfortunately, with the exception of the season opener in Indianapolis, he's played far below expectations all season long.

The million dollar question as a long offseason approaches for the Seahawks - or $35 million question, really - revolves around why Wilson has struggled so mightily this year. Is he not as healthy as he's letting on publicly? Is coordinator Shane Waldron's scheme the problem? Or at 33 years of age, with his athleticism already diminishing, is he in the midst of a steep decline earlier than expected?

From Seattle's perspective, the organization better hope Wilson's finger has been the biggest culprit for his accuracy woes and not the latter. But an extended sample size dating back to last season suggests that may not be the case.

Per TruMedia, in 11 starts in 2021, Wilson ranks dead last among qualified passers completing 46.3 percent of his passes on third down, trailing even Jaguars rookie Trevor Lawrence. He also ranks 27th in passing yards and 20th in passer rating in those situations. The Seahawks have failed to hit 20 points in five of those starts, or nearly 50 percent of the time.

After a scorching hot start last year, Wilson regressed tremendously in the second half, leading to the firing of offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. In Seattle's final eight games, he threw just 12 touchdowns, ranked 17th in passer rating, and saw his yards per attempt plummet to 28th as the team scored 20 or fewer points four times.

With Wilson airing his grievances last offseason and trade rumors swirling, the Seahawks appeased their quarterback by allowing him to hand pick Waldron as their new play caller. They traded for guard Gabe Jackson, signed tight end Gerald Everett, and drafted another receiver in Dee Eskridge. And yet, on field results have not only failed to improve, but they've actually regressed further.

Given his track record and relative youth, Wilson could certainly bounce back in 2022, especially if he's not 100 percent healthy right now. Context matters in regard to his injury. Seattle could try to once again retool the roster around him and give it another go viewing this dreadful season as an aberration.

But unlike this time last year, with his team already out of playoff contention in large part due to his own dismal play, legitimate questions about Wilson's future must be asked. Do the Seahawks believe he can rebound? If so, what needs to happen to bring out his best? And most importantly, after stirring up drama last spring, does Wilson really want to run it back with the only organization he's ever known?

Answers to these questions will become more clear in coming weeks. The only certainty? This offseason is shaping up to be one of seismic changes in the Pacific Northwest and everyone is under evaluation over the final three weeks, including No. 3 himself.