Seahawks fans spent their entire offseason trying to convince Seattle’s coaching staff to “Let Russ Cook,” and based on Sunday’s opener in Atlanta, it appears that the team finally decided to let Russell Wilson in the kitchen.
The “Let Russ Cook” mantra started because Wilson and the Seattle fanbase wanted to see the quarterback throw more this year, and that’s exactly what happened against the Falcons during the Seahawks’ dominating 38-25 win.
Wilson had one of the most efficient games of his career, going 31 of 35 for 322 yards and four touchdowns. Since Wilson had the hot hand, the Seahawks did something they almost never do, basically giving up on the run as they finished the game with just 20 carries, which is notable because the Seahawks never give up on the run. The win over Atlanta marked just the fourth time in Wilson’s career that the Seahawks have run the ball 20 or fewer times in a game where he threw it 35 times or more.
Even though the Seahawks weren’t running the ball, they did still utilize their running backs by calling plenty of screen plays. As a matter of fact, running back Chris Carson actually caught two of Wilson’s four touchdown passes, including a 19-yarder late in the first quarter.
Overall, Carson caught six passes for 45 yards in a game where he also tacked on 21 rushing yards.
The first NFL Sunday of the 2020 season is in the books and there’s a lot to go over. John Breech and Ryan Wilson join host Will Brinson on the Pick Six Podcast to break it all down; listen in the player below and be sure to subscribe for daily NFL goodness.
As for Wilson, the amazing thing about his performance is that if you don’t count his throws to DK Metcalf, he actually had a perfect game. Although he was just 4 of 8 while targeting Metcalf, he was 27 of 27 for 227 yards and three touchdowns while targeting everyone else. Of course, that doesn’t mean the Metcalf-Wilson connection wasn’t working. The Seahawks second-year receiver actually caught a 38-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter that put Seattle up 21-12.
For the past few years, the Seahawks have been running their offense like a power-running team that has a game manager for a quarterback, but the reality of the situation is that they have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. If they let him spend more time in the kitchen this season so he can keep cooking, the Seahawks could quickly turn into the favorite to win the NFC West.
Seattle 38-25 Atlanta
Buffalo 27-17 over N.Y. Jets
Chicago 27-23 over Detroit
Green Bay 43-34 over Minnesota
Packers-Vikings grades by Patrik Walker (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
New England 21-11 over Miami
Dolphins-Patriots grades by Tyler Sullivan (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Washington 27-17 over Philadelphia
Eagles-Washington grades by Jeff Kerr (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Las Vegas 34-30 over Carolina
Jacksonville 27-20 over Indianapolis
Baltimore 38-6 over Cleveland
Browns-Ravens grades by Josh Edwards (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
L.A. Chargers 16-13 over Cincinnati
Chargers-Bengals grades by Bryan DeArdo (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
New Orleans 34-23 over Tampa Bay
Buccaneers-Saints grades by Jordan Dajani (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
Arizona 24-20 over San Francisco
L.A. Rams 20-17 over Dallas
Cowboys-Rams grades by Cody Benjamin (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)
