Many marvel, with good reason, at the surreal statistics of Russell Wilson at this masterful start to the season. His real greatness is firstly due to the fact that without him, the Seahawks wouldn’t necessarily fly very high.
The quarterback became the first in history to throw 14 touchdown passes in his first three games. His percentage of passes completed, at 76.7%, defies all logic. If there were short flank passes, that success rate would go without saying, but Wilson is averaging 11.3 yards per pass attempted, which is science fiction!
Of his 14 touchdown passes, six have taken at least 20 yards in the air, showing that Wilson, more than ever before in his career, is dangerous over the long game. Already seven of his targets have registered touchdowns, which shows , once again, how much he can go to different readings and make everyone around him look good.
The 31-year-old veteran rose to the top in his position in his rookie season in 2012. It is known, however, that he never received a vote when it comes to awarding the MVP title. . He has always excelled and has slipped into discussions many times, but every year a Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Cam Newton, Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson has had such an exceptional season that Wilson has just fallen behind.
This season, he’s playing like a possessed man, who wants to change the narrative once and for all.
Single driver
With an established receiver like Tyler Lockett and the emergence of young DK Metcalf, Wilson has no complaints about the tools at his disposal. Would those two widely spaced wingers be as productive, however, with a quarterback reluctant to shoot? Few of the pivots give their receivers so many opportunities in deep areas.
Traditionally, the Seahawks have established their ground game first before giving Wilson a go, who often performed late-game miracles to save his own. The Seahawks were justified in doing it with a beast like Marshawn Lynch, but since then, the Thomas Rawls and Chris Carson of this world have benefited greatly from the virtuoso that is Wilson to look better.
This is especially true this season. The coaches have clearly handed the keys to the offense to Wilson. His propensity to attack vertically keeps the defenses on their heels. Carson, Carlos Hyde and Travis Homer thus enjoy less loaded defensive fronts to start from the backfield.
A saviour
Where all of Wilson’s greatness is most apparent is when considering just how much he needs to get his defense out of embarrassment.
The Seahawks are so far undefeated this season even though, for the first time in franchise history, the defense has just conceded at least 450 yards in three straight games. That same defense was peppered with 1,292 passing yards, by far the highest total in NFL history for any team.
Already, the Seahawks have won two of their three games by a possession spread. Last season, that was the case in 10 of their 11 wins.
It’s a sign that even if they look good, the line between winning and losing remains extremely thin, as does the line between a good and a worse team.
Russell Wilson’s greatness is above all his keenness to put out fires in command of a team that regularly plays with fire.
WEEK 4 Sermons
THURSDAY
MY CHOICE
• Denver to NY BRONCOS Jets
SUNDAY
MY CHOICES
• Baltimore à Washington (13h) RAVENS
• LA Chargers à Tampa Bay (13h) BUCCANEERS
• Seattle à Miami (13h) SEAHAWKS
• Minnesota à Houston (13h) TEXANS
• New Orleans in Detroit (1 p.m.) SAINTS
• Cleveland à Dallas (13h) COWBOYS
• Jacksonville à Cincinnati (13h) BENGALS
• Indianapolis à Chicago (13h) COLTS
• Arizona en Caroline (13h) CARDINALS
• NY Giants à LA Rams (16h05) RAMS
• Buffalo in Las Vegas (4:25 p.m.) BILLS
• New England at Kansas City (4:25 p.m.) CHIEFS
• Philadelphia to San Francisco (8:20 p.m.) EAGLES
MONDAY
MY CHOICE
• Atlanta à Green Bay (20h15) PACKERS
* Game between Steelers and Titans postponed (COVID-19)
LAST WEEK’S RESULTS
9 in 16 (56.3%)
TOTAL THIS SEASON
34 in 48 (70.8%)
THE CHOICES OF THE JOURNAL
Baltimore Ravens (2-1) vs Team Washington (1-2)
Space for Jackson
Washington will be deprived of rookie defensive end Chase Young and underrated tackle Matt Ioannidis is out for the season. It’s not as if the team originally had a chance to compete with the Ravens, but there it smacks of massacre. Lamar Jackson and his armada of ball carriers are likely to frolic to their heart’s content in the vast meadows in front of them. Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins is still young, but he’s not raising the team and he will be overwhelmed by the blitz.
• Ravens by 17
Chargers de Los Angeles (1-2) vs Buccaneers de Tampa Bay (2-1)
Beware of the pressure!
Tom Brady had a really good first game last Sunday with the Buccaneers. The Chargers have been showing for a while, however, that they can apply pressure to four players, allowing them to leave more men in cover. That cover, however, will be deprived of cornerback Chris Harris Jr. Brady, historically, is 8-0 with 15 TDs and five interceptions against the Chargers this season. Ultimately, it’s the rising defense that will save the Bucs.
• Buccaneers by 3
Seahawks de Seattle (3-0) vs Dolphins de Miami (1-2)
Encore Russell Wilson
No one is holding back quarterback Russell Wilson to this day. The Dolphins will try to be the first to pull it off, but their rivals this season have completed more than 70% of their passes against them. And if the Seahawks have to rely on running as they have in years past, the Dolphins are conceding 4.9 yards per carry. In short, there does not seem to be a way out. Seahawks forward Chris Carson will miss the meeting, but the team is not struggling with Carlos Hyde in relief.
• Seahawks par 9
Vikings du Minnesota (0-3) vs Texans de Houston (0-3)
Sense of urgency
Here are two teams who have had a difficult start and who absolutely must go for a first victory. It is well known, the Texans do not protect their jewel Deshaun Watson badly, but the good news for them is that the Vikings no longer terrorize the quarters as in their heyday. Their three meager sacks are the second-worst total in the league. They also concede the third highest total in aerial yards per game (292.3).
• Texans by 5
New Orleans Saints (1-2) vs Detroit Lions (1-2)
Even more Kamara
For the Saints, the start of the season is not convincing. To get by, we have to give more opportunities to Alvin Kamara. It’s one thing to get him involved in aerial play, but he has carried the ball just 30 times this season, including just six times Sunday against the Packers when he is performing very well. Knowing that the Lions are giving 5.7 yards per carry and 172 rushing yards per game, why bother? The Saints are capable of better.
• Saints by 3
Browns de Cleveland (2-1) vs Cowboys de Dallas (1-2)
The end of an impetus
The Browns show a winning record for the first time since the end of the 2014 season. They were helped by duels against Cincinnati and Washington. The Cowboys are lame, but their aerial attack is rocketing with four receivers who can win. On the ground, Ezekiel Elliott is not awake, but it won’t be long. The Browns can hit the ground hard with Nick Chubb, but the Cowboys are only giving 3.8 yards per carry.
• Cowboys by 6
Jaguars de Jacksonville (1-2) vs Bengals de Cincinnati (0-2-1)
A first for Burrow
It’s now or never for Joe Burrow’s first victory. The young Bengals quarterback is playing better and better, even though he’s protected like the bottom of the class, with 14 sacks at his expense. Except that the Jaguars are no longer “Sacksonville”. With three sacks in three games, the felines are more like declawed twinks. The Bengals’ defense is far from the goal, but against the pass, it lodges in third place. Life could still be tough for Gardner Minshew.
• Bengals par 3
Colts d’Indianapolis (2-1) vs Bears de Chicago (3-0)
Mirage or reality?
The Bears continue to show a perfect record, thanks to two spectacular last minute comebacks. How well does their record represent their real performance? Their usually formidable defense is in the middle of the pack against both the run and the pass. The same goes for their air attack, which relies on Nick Foles. He is capable of magic, but also of blunders. The Bears scored just eight more points than they gave. It all seems fragile.
Colts par 6
Arizona Cardinals (2-1) vs. Caroline Panthers (1-2)
Murray will bounce back
Young Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray had a rare difficult game with three interceptions last Sunday. This week, the Panthers’ tertiary does not pose a serious threat in this regard. That’s not to mention the fact that the two-headed ground attack between Murray and Kenyan Drake should abuse a struggling defense against the run. Without Christian McCaffrey, the Panthers quickly become one-dimensional.
• Cardinals par 8
Giants de New York (0-3) vs Rams de Los Angeles (2-1)
Poor Giants!
When the Giants won their second Super Bowl in four years, in 2011, it was unthinkable that they would find themselves in such a sorry state afterwards. They really hit rock bottom with a generous defense that fights without the aid of its offense. Indeed, quarterback Daniel Jones multiplies turnovers and ground play is non-existent. The Giants are the first team since the 2002 Titans to have no running back for 75 yards after three games. It’s hard!
• Rams par 18
Buffalo Bills (3-0) vs Las Vegas Raiders (2-1)
Team effort
The Raiders are no longer the good old Raiders. To defeat them, the Bills will need to play big football in all facets of the game and not just rely on Josh Allen’s recent successes. The Raiders’ big shortcoming remains the lack of efficiency in the run (163.7 yards allowed per game). Now is the time for the Bills to hammer Devin Singletary more often, who has only run 32 times this season. The defense, which has moved from second to 18th place, must also do better.
• Bills by 1
New England Patriots (2-1) vs Kansas City Chiefs (3-0)
A different shock
The Patriots versus the Chiefs, it’s become a classic. The forces involved are this time different. The Patriots’ philosophy has changed, as they average 178 rushing yards per game, an NFL record. This is the formula to adopt so that the Chiefs have the ball as little as possible. But how to stop Patrick Mahomes and his band of missiles on legs? The Pats are underdog by seven points for just the third time since 2016. The Chiefs will cover.
• Chiefs by 8
Philadelphie Eagles (0-2-1) vs San Francisco 49ers (2-1)
Unable to end it
The big problem with the Eagles is that they seem unable to finish their games. In the first half, they dominated their opponents by 46-38 in terms of points. In the second half, they blow themselves up 49-13. They have scored points in just three of their 19 offensive streaks in the last two quarters. The 49ers are still without Jimmy Garoppolo, Raheem Mostert and other starters, but tight end George Kittle returns. Welcome back-up!
• 49ers by 5
Falcons d’Atlanta (0-3) vs Packers de Green Bay (3-0)
No miracle
The Falcons are throwing 350 yards in every game and Aaron Rodgers is waiting for them. The Falcons are giving 113 rushing yards per game and Aaron Jones is also waiting for them firmly. Truth be told, the Packers can only salivate at the idea of such a duel. While the Falcons’ offense can still produce, this team is stigmatized by their recent inexplicable setbacks. It is not against one of the hottest teams on the circuit that their slump will turn into victory.
• Packers by 10
.
