Russell Wilson vs Panthers (NFC Divisional 2015) - 31/48, 366 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs

Russell Wilson and the Seahawks beat the Vikings in a freezing game to advance to this NFC Divisional match versus the Carolina Panthers. In this game, the Panthers’ offense and defensive front seven feasted on the Seahawks’ during the first half putting the game out-of-hand by halftime. Although Wilson threw two interceptions, he actually played pretty well during this game to give the Seahawks a chance at a comeback. On the first page, we will take a look at how the Panthers’ pressure affected Wilson’s performance, while on the second page we will take a look at Wilson’s three touchdown passes and two missed opportunities in this NFC Divisional match.

Before we begin, here are my previous Russell Wilson breakdowns from this season:

• Russell Wilson vs Ravens (Week 14) – 23/32, 292 yards, 5 TDs
• Russell Wilson vs Steelers (Week 12) – 21/30, 345 yards, 5 TDs
• Russell Wilson vs 49ers (Week 11) – 24/29, 260 yards, 3 TDs

Pressure Forcing Bad Plays and Wilson to Scramble

First, let’s take a look at Wilson’s first pass of the game.

The Seahawks line up in I-formation with 21-personnel (two running backs, 1 tight end). The Panthers drop into a Cover 4 shell with four deep defenders and three underneath zone linebackers. The Panthers rush four and DT#99 Kawann Short beats left guard #68 Justin Britt through the B-gap forcing Wilson to abandon his progressions. Short chases Wilson from behind pulling him down as Wilson attempts to pass the ball to Lynch as the checkdown receiver. Lynch doesn’t turn in time and the pass is behind him allowing Kuechly to intercept it for a touchdown. This gives the Panthers a 14-0 lead. Bad start to the quarter for the Seahawks’ game.
 

 
The next play we’ll look at is the second interception thrown by Wilson in the second quarter.

The Seahawks line up in empty-set shotgun trey right versus the Panthers’ Cover 2 defense. #15 Kearse runs a corner-route, #89 Baldwin runs a quick-out, and #82 Willson runs a shallow cross over the middle of the field. The route combination of Baldwin/Kearse is your classic smash-concept. Baldwin’s quick-out baits the sideline cornerback while Kearse finds the gap between him and the deep left safety further down the left sideline. DE#97 Mario Addison beats LT#76 Okung around the outside and hits Wilson as he is releasing the ball. This forces the ball to lose velocity allowing the easy pick by C.Finnegan.
 

 
The incredible pressure by the Panthers’ front seven forced Wilson to scramble and abandon his reads all game. In the first half, the Panthers did a great job of keeping him in the pocket, but in the second, Wilson was able to extend plays and work his way downfield on the run to create plays for this offense. These next two plays are examples of that.

In this first play, Wilson is able to connect with Kearse on the sideline keeping the Seahawks’ drive alive.
 

 
In the second play, Lockett runs an option-route reading the deep safety above him. Lockett turns on a dime and is able sit on the sideline for a long first down conversion.
 

The article continues on the next page.

Three Unanswered Touchdowns in the Second Half

The Seahawks started the second half with an excellent return by rookie Tyler Lockett and three plays later were in the redzone. It’s 2nd and 1 on the Panthers’ 13 yard line. The Seahawks line up in shotgun slot left far versus the Panthers’ Cover 1 Man. Wilson has a bubble screen set up on his right and Kearse running a fade-route up the left sideline against #27 McClain’s man-to-man coverage. Wilson sees the single-high safety and two defenders on the right side of the field and chooses the fade-route wisely. The ball is perfectly placed giving Kearse the touchdown and the Seahawks’ first points of the game.

If you watch Kearse’s route closely, you will notice that McClain actually covers Kearse pretty well on this pass. There is some handfighting between the two as Kearse enters the endzone, but Kearse is able to disengage himself. McClain trips past him allowing him to score on this pass.
 

 
The next touchdown happened a drive later after the Seahawks’ defense were able to hold Newton and the Panthers to a punt. In this play, the Panthers show two deep defenders and look to be in a Cover 2 shell with five underneath defenders. Lockett runs a go-route up the right sideline while cornerback #24 Norman blitzes off of the edge. The deep right safety #20 Coleman is left to cover Lockett up the sideline and can’t stick with the speedy receiver. Lockett gets past him and hauls in the pass on a perfectly thrown ball.
 

 
Wilson’s final touchdown came on a busted sprint play to the right. #69 Jared Allen knifes his way into the backfield forcing Wilson to scramble backwards further and further between the tackles. Wilson tosses the ball high and into the back of the endzone in a perfectly arced pass just out of reach of #24 Norman.

Although the result of this play is a touchdown, this is an absolutely terrible decision that gets rewarded. In my opinion, the smart play is to throw the ball away. The vast majority of the time this “Manziel” is an interception, not a touchdown. This puts the Seahawks only down 10 points in the game.
 

Two Missed Opportunities

If you’ve watched the game, or have seen the box score, you will know that the Seahawks ended up losing 24-31 after they couldn’t recover a well-placed onside kick by Hauschka. Two big plays could have helped the Seahawks in this game. Both of them were deep passes down the sideline. The first, if placed a few yards shorter, would have resulted in a touchdown. #89 Baldwin beats #20 Coleman outside on a double-move slant-n-go that tricks Coleman badly.

On the second play, Kearse runs a go-route shaking #27 McClain in man-to-man coverage off of the line of scrimmage. His excellent footwork is what fools McClain immediately.While this play would not have resulted in a touchdown like the first video below, it would have been a gain of at least 25 yards. Wilson and the Seahawks ended up scoring later in both drives that these plays were in, but they could have at least saved the Seahawks some time and possibly another drive down the field.
 

 
From this breakdown, and my previous three breakdowns during the season, you will see that Wilson actually played pretty well during this game it’s just that the pressure by the Panthers’ front seven was overwhelming in comparison to the Seahawks’ offensive line. Later in the off-season, I will take a look at Russell Wilson’s touchdown passes and interceptions throughout the season.

Follow Samuel Gold on Twitter: @SamuelRGold.