The Seattle Seahawks quarterback made NFL history through the first three weeks of the season. Is the NFL MVP on the horizon?
Is it possible for an NFL quarterback to play his best football in his ninth season? That’s usually considered to be an anomaly, but Russell Wilson is doing the thing right now with the Seattle Seahawks. Wilson managed to throw nine touchdown passes through his first two games against the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots. But in Week 3, Wilson made history while he was “cooking.”
On Sunday, Wilson threw for five touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys in Seattle’s 38-31 victory, bringing his season total to 14. That happens to be the most touchdown passes thrown through the first three weeks of the season in NFL history. That breaks the record set by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in 2018 (13 touchdowns).
Wilson is cooking defenses in 2020
The Seahawks have long built up a reputation of being a run-first offense to match their hard-hitting, Legion of Boom defense. With head coach Pete Carroll putting priority in establishing the run, that meant there were limited opportunities for Wilson to show off his arm. He finally got that opportunity this season.
In Week 1, Wilson completed 31-of-35 pass attempts for 322 yards and four touchdowns against Atlanta’s defense. Last week against the Patriots in their home opener, Wilson completed 75-percent of his passes for 288 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. And then, the history-making performance against Dallas.
Wilson threw the ball a season-high 40 times, completing 27 of them for 315 yards. Wide receiver Tyler Lockett was his biggest beneficiary on Sunday, as he hauled in nine passes for 100 yards and three touchdowns. D.K. Metcalf and tight end Jacob Hollister caught Wilson’s other two touchdown passes.
It’s crazy to look back at Wilson’s nine-year career and come to the realization that he never received a single NFL MVP vote. Not one! Safe to say, he’s not going to have that problem this year, as he looks like the odds-on favorite to take home the award for the first time ever.