Carroll says Wilson ‘just on fire’ after early struggles
Sep 8, 2013, 9:36 PM | Updated: Sep 9, 2013, 9:05 am
By Danny O’Neil
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Russell Wilson’s first five passes of Sunday’s game resulted in four incompletions.
So did his next 29 throws.
That tells you about all you need to know about how Wilson began his second season as Seattle’s quarterback.
“After the first five or six passes, he was on fire,” coach Pete Carroll said.
Good thing, too, because Wilson faced near-constant pressure in Seattle’s pocket yet somehow managed to string together a stretch of 11 consecutive completions. In fact, Wilson went the entire second quarter without ever having the ball hit the ground.
Wilson threw for 320 yards, his most in a regular-season start. And after everyone spent last season wondering what would happen should Wilson have to throw Seattle back into a game, he posted his second consecutive 300-yard performance going back to the playoff game in Atlanta when he threw for 385 yards.
“He made a ton of great plays, staying alive,” Carroll said.
Especially on third down, and especially with Doug Baldwin. Wilson was 10-for-11 passing on third down for 115 yards and six first downs. Four of those third-down conversions were on completions to Baldwin, including a 15-yard completion on third-and-3 during the final drive to ice the game.
It was a heck of a game, especially considering the duress he was under.
“Russell played great under the circumstances and came through for us in great fashion,” Carroll said, “but we don’t need him under pressure like that.”
