Despite injuries, Russell Wilson is playing his way into MVP discussion

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson may not be the favorite to win the MVP award, but he has to be heavily involved in the discussion.

Atlanta’s Matt Ryan was the first-half MVP in most people’s opinion. Tom Brady, despite missing four games due to suspension, projects to be right at the top by the end of the season, particularly if the Patriots win home-field advantage and the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

Wilson has to be considered for several reasons. If he gets hot in the final seven games like he did last year, there is a great chance he could vault to the top of the list by the end of season.

O’Neil: Wilson is leading the Seahawks’ surge, not their defense

For degree of difficulty, no MVP candidate can top Wilson’s accomplishments. And if Wilson is indeed showing signs he’s closer to 100 percent, watch out for him in the second half.

We talk to former NFL quarterback Sean Salisbury every Tuesday at 11 for our “Four Downs” segment. Salisbury strongly stated Wilson should be an MVP candidate and he brought up an interesting point. Andrew Luck and Wilson were drafted in 2012. Luck was the first pick in the draft. Wilson was taken in the third round because he was 5 feet 10 and 5/8.

Salisbury said if you were redoing the draft, Wilson would go ahead of Luck. Though Luck took his first three Colts teams to the playoffs with 11-5 records, he’s been hit a lot and is struggling to get Indianapolis to a winning record the past couple years. Wilson has been to two Super Bowls. He’s starting to break records for his ability to win on the road.

But what he’s doing this year is incredible.

He suffered a high-ankle sprain in the opener that should have sidelined him for four to six weeks. Two weeks later, Wilson suffered a third-degree MCL sprain. That’s another injury that would sideline plenty of players for four to six weeks. But Wilson barely missed practice time and didn’t miss a game. Though he still hasn’t regained all of his mobility, Wilson – believe it or not – is starting to post better numbers than last year.

He’s currently on pass to throw for 4,371 yards this year. Last year, he threw for 4,024. Think about that for a second. Despite injuries should have eliminated about half his season, Wilson is getting more out of the passing game.

His completion percentage has dropped a little from 68.1 to 66.8, but that number is a little deceiving. Being a smart quarterback who hasn’t been able to run as well as he usually can, Wilson has elected to throw away more passes when he’s trapped with no ability to escape defenders. Wilson has intentionally thrown away 21 passes this year, second-most in the league to Washington’s Kirk Cousins. If he would have completed his normal percentage of those 21 passes, he would have 14 more completions. That would put him at 69.1 percent.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll recently said that Seattle’s coaching staff considered giving Wilson a chance to rest. The problem with that is that he would need to miss four or five games to get his legs to feel better.

Wilson wouldn’t go for it. He figured he could run the offense despite his injury limitations and win games. Thanks to his ability to protect the ball and make smart decisions, the Seahawks’ offense has given up only 21 points via turnovers. That’s the fifth-lowest in the league.

What might be held against Wilson in MVP voting is that the Seahawks currently rank 20th in yards per game. But if he gets hot in the second half and Seattle finishes with the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the NFC, votes should come his way.

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.

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