Russell Wilson Not Fully to Blame for Seahawks' Deflating Loss to Cowboys

The Seattle Seahawks had lost only one home game since drafting Russell Wilson in 2012 and naming him their starting quarterback—one defeat over 21 games, including the playoffs, a record stretching into a third season.

Now they’ve lost two, and before every Seahawks game at CenturyLink Field, we have to modify the standard statistical nugget to read like this: “The Seattle Seahawks have a 19-2 record at home during the Russell Wilson era.”

The Russell Wilson era. When your name is associated with the most dominant home-field advantage in the NFL today, it will be stained when that pristine winning record is tarnished. But how much of that scorn does Wilson really deserve after a deflating 30-23 loss to the Dallas Cowboys? Not nearly as much as he’ll likely receive.

There’s no hiding Wilson’s struggles Sunday afternoon and lack of timing and rhythm. A week ago, in a win over the Washington Redskins—another uncharacteristically poor defensive game for Seattle—Wilson’s wizardry salvaged a game that could have slipped away. He ran for 122 yards, a career high and a quarterback rushing record for Monday Night Football.

He spun, improvised, shook tacklers and completed plays that should only be possible when your thumb is controlling a joystick and a bag of Doritos is spilled on the couch. He was a magician, and expecting that regularly is the sort of thinking which leads to shattered dreams.

Suddenly there was an abrupt about-face Sunday. Against the Cowboys in a loss that dealt a blow to the Seahawks’ home record— the one with his name during his era—Wilson’s afternoon came with a rather wretched stench.

That completion percentage is nearly 20 full points lower than where it rested over the four games prior to Sunday (70.3).

Worse, Wilson’s passer rating was the third-lowest single-game result of his career. Over 40 percent of his passing yardage came on one outlier long toss to Jermaine Kearse in the first quarter. When that’s stripped away Wilson is left with 73 yards on his other 27 attempts, a disturbing average of 2.7 yards per throw.

Wilson accepted responsibility during his postgame press conference.

“For whatever reason, we were just a little bit off,” Wilson said. “I’ll take the blame for it. I think I could have played a lot better.”

But even with Wilson at his worst, placing blame of any significance on the quarterback after this loss is misguided thinking.

This loss isn’t on Wilson’s shoulders. It’s on an offensive coordinator who strayed far from his team’s identity and minimized Marshawn Lynch.

In Sunday's game, which was decided by a touchdown and didn't see any team lead by more than 10 points, Lynch was inexplicably cast aside. He had 10 carries, only two of which came in the first half.

	Carries	Yards
Week 6 vs. Cowboys	10	61
Averages over previous four games	17.3	76.5

Lynch’s usage was similar to his burial during the Seahawks’ other loss against the San Diego Chargers in Week 2 when he received only six carries.

During a championship season in 2013, he averaged 18.8 carries per game. And since 2011, Lynch has had 10 or fewer carries in a game only six times (a span of 51 games). Two have come this year, one against a Dallas defense allowing 5.2 yards per carry (31st).

This loss isn’t on Wilson’s shoulders. It’s also on the mind and scheming that led to Percy Harvin being erased against that same poor run defense.

Harvin was leaned on so much last week that he had three touchdowns called back, all on scoring plays where he gained 15 yards or more. If we include those nullified plays, he was targeted eight times as a receiver in Week 5, and a football was in his hands as a runner twice.

Fast-forward back to present time, and Harvin’s looks were cut in half during Sunday’s loss. The result of those four targets? Three catches for zero yards.

Zero.

"

Seattle is currently paying Percy Harvin $100,751.88 per receiving yard this year.

— Rich Hribar (@LordReebs) October 12, 2014"

No, this loss isn’t just on Wilson’s shoulders and/or arm. It’s on a defense that lacked boom and a legion that was largely silent.

Prior to Sunday, the Seahawks proudly and loudly fielded the league’s best defense against the run. The front seven is so physically imposing that Seattle’s longest run allowed over four games had gone for only 16 yards.

Cowboys running backs DeMarco Murray and Joseph Randle chugged far past that mark twice on runs of 25 and 38 yards. The latter long jog came from Randle, and it equaled the highest total rushing yardage for an individual running back against the Seahawks before Week 6.

	Yards	Yds/carry	Longest run
Week 6 vs. Cowboys	162	4.4	38
Over previous four games	62.2 per game	2.6	16

The Seahawks had given up only 231 rushing yards to opposing running backs. Murray and Randle combined for 167 in one game.

An ugly win still counts, and just as they did last week, the Seahawks had a chance to walk away with one of those Sunday. They were gifted 17 points by Cowboys turnovers deep inside their own territory and a blocked punt.

But when the offense couldn’t sustain drives and the defense couldn’t stop them, opportunities dwindled. Dallas had possession for over 15 minutes longer (37:39 to 22:21) because it kept running over the Seahawks run defense. 

"

DeMarco Murray knows how to finish off a run #FantasyFootball https://t.co/epEqKbLQIq

— JuanElway™ (@JuanElway) October 12, 2014"

Injuries didn’t help matters, though Bobby Wagner returned, and Byron Maxwell’s absence didn’t play a significant role in the ground gashing. Wilson shouldn’t need to be perfect because with all the physicality and muscle flexed by the Seahawks defense, something far short of flawless can still result in a win, and often does.

But on this Sunday, a trench battle was lost against the also mighty Cowboys offensive line. Combine that with a misguided game plan, and Wilson’s play is magnified.

The end result: The defending champs are one game over .500 heading into Week 7.