Russell Wilson and the Seahawks played the Packers in the NFC Championship. This game featured an epic comeback by the Seahawks down by 19 points to beat the Green Bay Packers. The game didn’t start well for the Seahawks as Wilson threw multiple interceptions and the offensive line allowed way too much pressure. However, two last minute drives and a lucky onside kick advanced them to the Superbowl to play the New England Patriots. Let’s take a look at some of Wilson’s plays to figure out what happened in this week’s breakdown.
Stats
Wilson - 14/29, 209 yards, 7.2 ypa, 1 TD, 4 INTs, 1 Fumble, 5 sacks for 25 yards, 7 carries for 25 yards, 1 rushing TD
First let’s take a look at Wilson’s interceptions in Plays 2, 6, 10, and 29. What you’ll notice is that the Packers used the same Cover 1 Robber shell for all of these interceptions and almost had a fifth interception in Play 27.
Play 2
Situation: 3rd and 7 at SEA 23
Description: Q1 - (10:37) (Shotgun) R.Wilson pass short middle intended for J.Kearse INTERCEPTED by H.Clinton-Dix at SEA 30. H.Clinton-Dix pushed ob at SEA 4 for 26 yards (J.Sweezy). PENALTY on GB-M.Daniels, Taunting, 15 yards, enforced at SEA 4.
Offensive Formation: Empty-Set Shotgun Trips Left
Offense Personnel: 11 (Lynch is lining up as a WR on the left outside)
Defensive Formation: Cover 1 Robber, man-to-man coverage across the board
http://i.imgur.com/BmahhsV.jpg
Wilson in shotgun pre-snap reads a defender directly over WR15 Kearse and a defender at the line of scrimmage over his slot right wide receiver. This same lineup is mirrored on the opposite side of the field, but the main difference is that there are three wide receivers as opposed to only two. This means that either the Packers at double-covering the slot receiver, the Packers could drop the defender in off-man coverage into zone, or they could blitz the cornerback at the line of scrimmage. The Packers choose the latter, which means that the slot receiver is against off-man coverage.
Kearse runs an in-route and it’s well covered. Maybe Wilson thought that the blitz was coming but the Packers were playing zone coverage on the right outside, but regardless he takes the snap and delivers an accurate pass to Kearse. Unfortunately due to the slipper conditions and the excellent coverage, the ball bounces off of his hands and falls right into FS21 Clinton-Dix’s hands for an interception who was playing robber over the middle of the field. Not a good start.
I don’t blame Wilson for this throw. Typically the worst case scenario for this throw is a quick incompletion and on 3rd and 7 the Seahawks were hoping this designed interference play with the slot right receiver would open up the field underneath. Good defensive call by the Packers.
Play 6
Situation: 1st and 10 at SEA 20
Description: Q2 - (9:37) R.Wilson pass deep middle intended for J.Kearse INTERCEPTED by H.Clinton-Dix at GB 32. H.Clinton-Dix to SEA 41 for 27 yards (J.Kearse). PENALTY on GB-C.Matthews, Illegal Blindside Block, 15 yards, enforced at SEA 41.
Note: The game tape was having technical difficulties for this play and for a few others, so I could only get part of the play. It should be enough to display something we noticed last week versus the Carolina Panthers.
In this play, Wilson attempts to throw the deep post route to WR15 Kearse on 1st down, but the ball is intercepted beautifully by FS21 Clinton-Dix.
http://i.imgur.com/UYwmMzj.png
Wilson attempts to look off Clinton-Dix, but he isn’t fooled, so he returns to deep safety help on Kearse. Before Wilson releases the ball, what you’ll notice is that Kearse does not have any separation on this play. CB38 Williams does an excellent job staying with Kearse the entire play, but Kearse has inside leverage over Williams. This means that if Wilson can lead Kearse and place it past Clinton-Dix it has a chance of becoming a deep play.
Unfortunately, Wilson underthrows the ball and Clinton-Dix makes an excellent one-armed interception on the ball. If you are going to miss this throw, you HAVE to throw it deep seeing as Clinton-Dix was in-front of Kearse’s path. Just like last week against the Carolina Panthers, Wilson continues to struggle with underthrowing his deep long balls.
Play 10
Situation: 3rd and 8 at GB 18
Description: Q2 - (2:00) (Shotgun) R.Wilson pass deep left intended for J.Kearse INTERCEPTED by S.Shields at GB 0. Touchback.
Offensive Formation: Empty-set Shotgun Double Wing
Offense Personnel: 11 (Lynch lines up as the left outside WR)
Defensive Formation: Cover 1 Robber, man-to-man coverage across the board
http://i.imgur.com/RKyhBH8.png
It’s 3rd and 8 with 2:00 minutes left in the first half. Wilson has WR15 Kearse in the left slot running a corner route to the endzone. The two wide receivers are running what’s a called a “Smash Concept”. Where the outside WR runs a short hitch and the slot receiver runs a corner route. This is meant to attack zone coverage, by flooding the left outside zones or to attack bump-and-run coverage on the slot receiver if the defense is in man-to-man coverage like they are in this play.
http://i.imgur.com/MXJAR7p.png
Wilson takes the snap and immediately looks for the corner route. He lobs the ball into the air trying to give Kearse a chance at the ball, but Wilson plaecs the ball too far to the inside of Kearse allowing CB37 Shields a chance at the ball. After Kearse cuts outside, you’ll notice that Shields turns his head and watches Wilson the entire play looking for the ball. This is amazing awareness and coverage.
The other option in this play would have been to go to the quick-in route on the right side of the field, but it might not have gotten the Seahawks a first down based on the underneath coverage of the safety playing robber. If Wilson wants to make this throw, he has to place it further outside to give his wide receiver a chance at the ball and make sure the defender can’t play it.
Play 27
Situation: 2nd and 15 at 50
Description: Q4 - (7:11) (Shotgun) R.Wilson pass incomplete short middle to K.Norwood (H.Clinton-Dix).
Offensive Formation: Shotgun Trips Right Near
Offense Personnel: 11
Defensive Formation: Cover 1 Robber, Man-to-man across the board
http://i.imgur.com/PSbeE6U.jpg
This is Wilson’s worst throw of the game. He completley doesn’t see the FS21 Clinton-Dix playing robber over the middle and forces the ball to WR81 Norwood running a dig route. Awful throw. Wilson stares down the receiver and then throws it inaccurately. This should have been Clinton-Dix’s third pick on the day.
Play 29
Situation: 1st and 10 at SEA 46
Description: Q4 - (5:13) (Shotgun) R.Wilson pass short middle intended for J.Kearse INTERCEPTED by M.Burnett at GB 39. M.Burnett to GB 43 for 4 yards. Went down on his own.
Offensive Formation: Shotgun Trips Right Near
Offense Personnel: 11
Defensive Formation: Cover 1 Robber, Man-to-man across the board
http://i.imgur.com/zRQTZXF.png
This play is almost identical to Play 27, but this time it results in an interception. In this play, Wilson targets Kearse who is in the middle of the trips right running a deep-in route over the middle of the field. Wilson takes the snap and throws a bullet right into the diving arms of Kearse who lays out for the ball. CB33 Hyde is right on the tail of Kearse. The ball was well-placed, but it again bounces off of Kearse’s hands straight into the air for SS42 Burnett to intercept it.
Breaking down Wilson’s mechanics on this play, his footwork isn’t the best as he drifts backwards as he is releasing the ball. He gets good velocity on the throw, but he needs to release this ball with more anticipation. The ball should have been released a full second earlier right as Kearse was about to start making the cut down the field, which would have given Kearse more separation on the play. Like Play 2, this is another play where you typically don’t see the ball pop straight up for the defense that usually results in an incompletion and nothing more.
Play 28
Situation: 3rd and 15 at 50
Description: Q4 - (7:07) (Shotgun) R.Wilson pass incomplete deep middle to D.Baldwin (C.Hayward) [D.Jones].
Here is one final play showing Wilson’s struggles with the Cover 1 Robber. In this play, Wilson attempts to throw deep to Baldwin when he should have thrown it to the tight end running the deep crossing route, since the safety that was sitting back there in a Cover 2 look moves up to the middle, which opens the deep left half of the field. If I were the Patriots, I’d be looking at using McCourty and Chung in Cover 1 Robber looks for the Superbowl.
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