In the first half of Seattle’s 33-27 loss to the Saints, Russell Wilson completed 13 of 14 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown. The Seahawks’ running game, which is what offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and head coach Pete Carroll would prefer to lead with, managed 90 yards on 18 carries if you include Wilson’s 41 yards on five carries. Chris Carson gained 48 yards on 12 carries and was taken out of the game due to a persistent fumbling problem.
At the half, the Saints led, 20-7. Halfway through the third quarter, Teddy Bridgewater put New Orleans up 27-7 with a one-yard touchdown pass to Michael Thomas. At that point, it seemed that the Seahawks finally wanted to put their offense behind Wilson’s arm. It almost worked, as Seattle’s franchise quarterback ended the game with 32 completions on 50 attempts for 406 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also added two rushing touchdowns, becoming the first NFL player since 1950 with more than 400 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, more than 50 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns in a single game.
The shame of it is that Wilson had to go into panic mode in the second half. Seattle’s run game has been one of the league’s least effective this season, and it seems that only when that run game collapses in on itself does Schottenheimer deign to put the game plan into the hands of his quarterback, who is clearly one of the NFL’s best. The Seahawks should be leading with Wilson and the passing game, but their insistence on a philosophy that doesn’t suit their personnel is a real problem — and cost them their first home loss in September in the Pete Carroll era.
