DANNY AND GALLANT

Bumpus: Russell Wilson poised to break out of slump for Seahawks

Dec 11, 2020, 11:03 AM

Seahawks QB Russell Wilson...

Michael Bumpus says a game vs. the Jets is just what Seahawks QB Russell Wilson needs. (Getty)

(Getty)

Since the Seahawks’ 17-12 loss, quarterback Russell Wilson has been put under the microscope more than he has at perhaps any point of his nine-year NFL career.

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In the loss to the Giants, Wilson led just one touchdown drive and one drive resulting in a field goal for the Seahawks’ offense. He had two turnovers and looked out of sorts for most of the game, taking five sacks and often holding the ball too long looking for deep plays rather than taking shorter gains.

This week, Wilson and the Seahawks have a great chance to get back on track as they’ll host the 0-12 New York Jets. Former NFL receiver Michael Bumpus said on 710 ESPN Seattle’s Danny and Gallant on Friday that if any player is going to break out of a slump against the Jets, it’s No. 3.

“It’s got to be Russell, man. I’m looking at this Jets defense, they don’t do anything great … you look at their stats and (they’re at or near the bottom in most statistics),” Bumpus said. “They don’t do anything good on defense. Then you look at their secondary and I’ve seen some of the worst technique I’ve seen all year out of these DBs. It’s almost like guys are running sideways, their butt is flipped the wrong way.”

The Jets are allowing the second-most passing yards per game this season and with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in the fold, Wilson should have plenty of chances to pick apart the Jets’ defense. Additionally, New York fired defensive coordinator Gregg Williams after last week’s loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Bumpus also thinks Wilson needs to get back on track after the poor performance last week to prove the doubters wrong.

“Just to one, get (the media) off of him, right? Because we’re yelling and talking about him, he’s broken, something needs to be fixed,” Bumpus said. “And for him. I don’t think he doubts himself, I think he still believes in himself, but you need to go out and perform, you need to put some games together and you need to how you can dominate an 0-12 team. If there’s a guy that needs to bounce back, it’s Russell Wilson.”

Bumpus wants to see Wilson make better decisions than he did last week against the Giants.

“He needs to show that ‘I’m not going to just stare down DK. I’m not going to just go for the deep ball, I’m going to go for the checkdowns. When the blitz is coming I’m going to hit my tight end’ – he missed Hollister a couple times on the hot read – ‘I’m going to take what the defense is giving me instead of forcing it down the field,'” Bumpus said. “I don’t blame Russell for looking for the big play because that’s where he’s made his money, but you need to show ‘I can take what the defense is giving me.'”

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