Sure, this argument may seem questionable coming from a Seattle Seahawks fan but his stats and play are hard to ignore. Russell Wilson is in his eighth season and is having yet another historical year. For some reason, he still seems to be underrated by most.
For years, the media exhausted the excuses that Wilson was being carried by the Seahawks defense and Marshawn Lynch. People tend to forget that the Seahawks went 9-7 in a season where Wilson led the team in rushing yards and the league in passing touchdowns. Without him, they wouldn’t have come close to 9-7. Now it’s 2019 and you could accurately claim that this Seahawks team would be an absolute mess without Wilson. He’s been in the MVP conversation for several years now but this is finally the year they can no longer turn him down from one of football’s most cherished accomplishments.
Russell Wilson Is a Legitimate MVP Candidate
An MVP Year
We’re now one game into the second half of the season and Wilson has thrown for 22 touchdowns, 2,505 yards, and one interception for a 68.3 completion percentage and a 118.2 rating. If the season ended today, Wilson would have the best completion percentage, touchdown percentage, interception percentage, yards per passing attempt, yards per catch, yards per game, passer rating, and QBR of his career.
Remember that Wilson has been doing all of this—for several years now— in an offense that is heavily focused on the run and behind one of the league’s worst offensive lines. He’s also working in an offense that has no true number one tight end and has a rookie as their number two wide receiver.
Russell Wilson is having an MVP year despite:
* Losing his playmaking TE to IR
* No No. 3 WR of note
* Rookie No. 2 WR
* No. 1 WR who entered 2019 with career high of 57 catches
* Facing pressure at NFL’s 3rd-highest rate
* Matador defense for which he must constantly compensate— Evan Silva (@evansilva) November 6, 2019
Leading MVP Race
The reason Wilson leads among quarterbacks in the MVP race is that he’s been nearly flawless in the first nine weeks of the season—except for the uncharacteristic interception against the Baltimore Ravens, the only pick he’s thrown so far this season.
Currently, Wilson’s most popularly pitted against Lamar Jackson, Aaron Rodgers, and running back Christian McCaffrey for the MVP award. As of Week 9, he leads both Jackson and Rodgers in nine critical passing categories while also leads all quarterbacks (minimum eight starts) in six passing categories and is ranked top-five in four others.
|
|
Lamar Jackson |
Aaron Rodgers |
Russell Wilson |
|
Record |
7-2 |
7-2 |
7-2 |
|
Attempts |
238 |
318 |
293 |
|
Completions |
153 |
208 |
200 |
|
Dropped passes |
8 |
7 |
10 |
|
TD |
12 |
17 |
22 |
|
INT |
5 |
2 |
1 |
|
Yards |
1813 |
2485 |
2,505 |
|
TD % |
5.0 |
5.3 |
7.5 |
|
INT % |
2.1 |
0.6 |
0.3 |
|
Comp % |
64.3 |
65.4 |
68.3 |
|
Y/A |
7.6 |
7.8 |
8.5 |
|
Rating |
95.4 |
104.4 |
118.2 |
|
QBR |
70.9 |
63.0 |
79.6 |
|
2019 PFF Grade |
81.8 |
86.7 |
91.9 |
The True MVP
Right now the Seahawks are lucky to be 7-2. Credit is due to Wilson and even Tyler Lockett who have been tasked with bailing out the dreadful Seattle defense— ranked 25th by ESPN— every game in order to win. Frankly, the Seahawks likely wouldn’t have had all the success they’ve had in the past several years if it weren’t for Wilson— even with a number one defense and the Legion of Boom.
Heading into Week 10, he had one of the best games of his career against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is set to play in four straight primetime games, an area where Wilson and the Seahawks excel most.
