Clayton’s keys for Russell Wilson, banged-up Seahawks vs Jets
Sep 30, 2016, 6:15 AM | Updated: 9:21 am
The Jets' D-line trio of Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams pose a challenge. (AP)
(AP)
The bye week can’t come any sooner for the Seahawks.
In fact, as much as the team doesn’t like the 10 a.m. East Coast kickoffs, it’s probably not a bad thing that Seattle’s bye week will begin three hours earlier because of the timing of Sunday’s game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium. The Seahawks need this break desperately.
Quarterback Russell Wilson is playing with a high-ankle sprain and an MCL sprain. Right guard Germain Ifedi is coming off a high-ankle sprain of his own. Running backs Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise are out for about another month with fibula and wrist injuries, respectively. The Seahawks’ offense needs a break to get healthy and regroup.
O’Neil: Wilson’s injuries will force Seahawks to compensate vs Jets
Here are four things to watch in Sunday’s game against the Jets:
1. The challenge for Wilson. Wilson made an incredible recovery from a high-ankle sprain and now he’s trying to do the same coming off Sunday’s MCL sprain. Believe it or not, players were saying Wilson was moving better in Wednesday’s practice than he was a week ago, which seems amazing because he’s doing it on two bad legs. The problem this week is the Jets’ defensive line. They have the best trio of defensive linemen in football with Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams. Williams leads the trio with five quarterback knockdowns and four QB hits this season. Wilkerson is next with 3.5 knockdowns and half a QB hit. Richardson has half a knockdown. They have six combined sacks, led by Williams’ three. The key for Wilson is getting rid of the ball quickly. This year, he’s been among the league’s 10 best quarterbacks at getting rid of the ball quickly, doing so on average in 2.39 seconds. Last Sunday, he got into a good rhythm with the offense and destroyed the 49ers. We’ll see if the Seahawks get into more two tight end sets emphasizing pass protection. Clearly, the plan is to run the ball with Christian Michael and Alex Collins. The signing of C.J. Spiller was interesting because the team needed a pass-catching back with Prosise injured. Spiller could bail out Wilson if he is pressured.
2. Ifedi’s debut. Ifedi is expected to make his NFL debut, and he needs to have a big game. He was a star during training camp. He wouldn’t back down in practices from defenders such a Michael Bennett who wanted to go after him over physical play in practice. No doubt he will make a few mistakes. This is his first NFL game. The hope is that he and the rest of the offensive linemen cut down on the holding penalties. Seattle’s offensive linemen have six penalties in the first three games, and those usually result in drive-killing plays. For the Seahawks to win, they have control as much of the line of scrimmage as possible, not commit any turnovers and try to limit the Jets’ offense to around 56 to 58 plays. Regardless, it will be interesting if Ifedi’s return brings back the promise that he, center Justin Britt and left guard Mark Glowinski showed in training camp.
3. Seahawks need pressure, takeaways. The Seahawks’ defense needs to hold the Jets to around 13 points and force a couple of turnovers. So far, the group has answered the challenge. The Seahawks have the top-ranked defense, allowing only 250.3 yards and 12.3 points per game and only 4.47 yards per play. It can be argued the Seahawks’ pass rush is starting to resemble the 2013 team with the increasing development of Frank Clark and Cassius Marsh. Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril continue to play at a high level. The numbers look good for the Seahawks’ defense, but they have only forced one turnover. The key is putting pressure on Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and forcing a couple of interceptions.
4. Baldwin vs. Revis. Will Doug Baldwin be invited to Revis Island? For close to a decade, Darrelle Revis has been the gold standard of coverage corners. Often he shadowed the opponent’s best receiver to take him out of action. Baldwin has taken his game to a new level. He’s gone from Pro Bowl alternate to among the top 10 to 12 receivers in the league. Revis might not match up on him because Baldwin works his game out of the slot. Plus, Revis has struggled this year. Quarterbacks have completed 13 of 17 passes against him in three games for 208 yards and a touchdown.
The Seahawks are hoping to get to the bye week and sneak into it with a 3-1 record.
Want more John Clayton? Listen on-demand to his weekday and Saturday shows as well as his “Cold Hard Facts” and “Clayton’s Morning Drive” segments on 710 ESPN Seattle. Also, check out his all-new “Schooled” podcast and look for his columns twice a week on 710Sports.com.
