It's not hyperbolic to say the first three years of Russell Wilson's career may have been the best in NFL history. Yet, he was seldom considered one of the league's greats or even the best quarterback in his own draft class. That honor was often bestowed upon No. 1 pick Andrew Luck, the Stanford graduate with the scintillating arm strength and football intelligence to match.
It’s time to give Russell Wilson the credit he deserves
He was arguably the best quarterback in football this season.
Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
But now it’s time for Wilson to get his due.
When it comes down to winning, few can match him. Wilson has won more playoff games over the last three years than any other quarterback in football and leads the league in game-winning drives and fourth quarter comebacks as well. His passer rating of 98.6 through the first three seasons of his career is the best in league history, too.
Despite all of those accolades, Wilson has largely been considered a secondary figure in the Seahawks' run. After all, it's easy to be overshadowed by Richard Sherman –– perhaps the most opinionated player in football –– and Marshawn Lynch, who may be the league's biggest enigma. It also doesn't help that the signature play of Wilson's career didn't happen during his plethora of fourth quarter comebacks, but rather in the final moments of Super Bowl XLIX when he threw a game-ending interception on the 1-yard line.
Through the first half of this season –– amidst a myriad of offseason pseudo-controversies ranging from endorsing a phony concussion-prevention drink to claiming God ordered him to "lead" his pop star girlfriend, Ciara –– Wilson and the Seahawks got off to a sluggish start. They lost four of their first six games and appeared to be in a state of disarray. But then, the flip was switched.
From Week 8 onward, the Seahawks won seven of their last nine games and captured one of the NFC's Wild Card spots. It was too late in the year for them to catch Arizona atop the NFC West, though they did trounce the Cardinals by 30 points in Week 17.
Wilson’s performance during this stretch has been nothing short of awe inspiring. He closed out the season with a league-best 110.1 passer rating, including a 132.8 rating from Week 11 through 17. He’s also the only quarterback in history to have thrown for at least 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns while rushing for 500 or more yards as well.
3 touchdowns. 1 half. And this one was a beaut. Russell Wilson is pure #SEAvsAZ https://t.co/Chwh9k5OAr
— NFL (@NFL) January 3, 2016 With Lynch on the shelf since Week 10 and rookie running back Thomas Rawls going down with a season-ending injury as well, the onus fell on Wilson to carry the Seahawks offense to the postseason. He did exactly that.
Per usual, the Seahawks defense is one of the best in the league. It allowed the fewest points in the NFL this year and held opponents to single digits in three of Seattle’s final five games.
With their vaunted defense back to dominating the opposition, the Seahawks are a trendy favorite in the top-heavy NFC. But if they’re going to make their third consecutive Super Bowl appearance, Wilson will almost certainly play a big role in it –– just like always.
Except this time, maybe he’ll get the credit.
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