Sage Rosenfels column: Why Russell Wilson is the NFL's Most Valuable Player
The Most Valuable Player award is usually given to the player who's had the greatest impact on one of the premier teams in the NFL. Though they are still in a very tight race for the playoffs, the Seattle Seahawks have not been in the conversation as one of the best teams in the league at any point this season.
Despite this, no player has had a greater responsibility for his team's success than Russell Wilson. Through 13 weeks, he is the NFL's MVP.
Since the preseason, the Seahawks' offensive line has been a major concern. Because of deficiencies in the line and lack of a premier back, the Seahawks don't have much of a running game emanating from the running-back position. Defensively, multiple starters have had their seasons interrupted due to injury. Richard Sherman and Cliff Avril are on injured reserve, and multiple other Pro Bowl defenders have missed games with injuries.
Simply put, this defense is producing less boom than in years past.
However, the Seahawks have Wilson, who gives them a chance to win every week. His performance on Sunday Night Football was nothing short of spectacular. Other than Aaron Rodgers, no other quarterback currently in the NFL can do everything, at an extremely high level, like Wilson.
From a throwing perspective, Wilson rarely misses during the regular course of a called play. When the line gives him time and he can go through his progressions, Wilson puts the ball on the money nearly every time. Whether he is throwing versus tight man coverage, against a soft zone, or under pressure from a cover 0 blitz, Wilson almost always throws a catchable ball.
Wilson owns a 64 percent completion rate, and would be much closer to 70 percent if it weren't for him regularly throwing balls away to prevent sacks.
One of the more surprising stats that most people don't realize about Wilson is that he is one of the best deep-ball throwers in the NFL. Unlike Matt Ryan or Tom Brady, who generally take a shot down the field during the regular course of a play, Wilson throws a lot of deep passes that are "off schedule."
Many times it's because he's running around out of the pocket, which he did on multiple occasions on Sunday. He also buys extra time within the pocket to make big plays.
Facing an all-out blitz from Philadelphia in which the Seahawks had only seven blockers versus eight Eagles rushers, Wilson calmly faded back away from the pressure to allow time for Doug Baldwin to work his way down the field on a deep corner route. Many quarterbacks look for the quick throw when getting a "cover 0" pressure.
Wilson knew he'd get hit, but is so confident with his deep ball touch that he held the pigskin for an extra second, made the throw well before Baldwin finished his route, and took a hit after he let it loose. The 40-yard toss, off his back foot, was an absolute dime. Athletic quarterbacks aren't necessarily supposed to be great throwers. Wilson, however, is one of the best.
As the season has progressed, it is becoming increasingly obvious that offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell is calling more bootleg and play action. These concepts are helping his struggling line, as the defense must play the run for the initial part of the play. But it also gives Wilson more time in the pocket to use his magic. Even when these plays break down, Wilson somehow manages to make something out of nothing.
There are a lot of quarterbacks who are deadly accurate when throwing on the run. Never, during my 20-plus years of watching the NFL, have I seen a quarterback throw the ball running to his left better than Wilson. Yes, Rodgers makes incredible throws when working to his left. The throw to Jared Cook against the Cowboys in last year's playoffs is one of the best I've ever seen.
What separates Wilson from the rest is that he has a rare combination of strength and flexibility to make these throws accurately. Rodgers will, at the last second, flip his hips to get more torque on his throws. Wilson will be running full speed to his left, parallel to the line of scrimmage, and get his upper body and arm to make a firm accurate throw down the field.
I haven't seen any college or pro quarterbacks make this type of throw in my lifetime. Most quarterbacks simply don't have the flexibility or strength to make these passes. Wilson, partially because of his compact stature, makes them multiple times a game.
Though the playoffs don't start until after the New Year, Wilson and the Seahawks were playing in a postseason type of atmosphere on Sunday Night. Sitting at 7-4 and facing the Eagles, who most experts had slated as the best team in the NFL, the Seahawks were in a must-win game to keep pace with the other teams who were in the hunt in a very crowded NFC conference.
Much as they had all season, the Seahawks completely relied on their quarterback to carry their offense.
Throughout the year, Wilson has been responsible for an astounding 82 percent of his team's yards. Obviously, Wilson has thrown for all of Seattle's passing yards, but what is so shocking is that he also leads the team in rushing. He currently has 432 rushing yards, which is more than the Seahawks' top two running backs. In fact, Chris Carson and Eddie Lacy have a combined for just 387 rushing yards in 2017.
Also, Carson and Lacy have a combined 118 rushing attempts to their quarterback's 71. Concurrently, Wilson has three of the four Seattle rushing touchdowns this year. Rarely do I think quarterbacks are worth the $20 million-to-$27 million that owners are forced to pay them, but - considering the monster extension Wilson just received - I am beginning to think at this point he is underpaid.
Football is the ultimate team sport. I don't know how far Wilson can carry the Seahawks this year with the lack of protection and running game. As their defense begins to get healthier, Seattle could be a team that gets hot down the stretch. Currently, Seattle owns the No. 5 seed in the NFC. If the Seahawks win three of their last four games, they will be in the playoffs - possibly with a home game.
Carson Wentz has had a spectacular sophomore season. Tom Brady, at the age of 40, is having another MVP-caliber year. But no player, or quarterback, in the NFL is having a greater impact on his team or the league than Russell Wilson. If he finishes the last quarter of the season in the same fashion as the first three quarters, he deserves to be the NFL's Most Valuable Player.
Sage Rosenfels is a former 12-year NFL quarterback who writes, does radio, and podcasts about the NFL and college football. Find him on Twitter @SageRosenfels18.
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)