Seattle Seahawks Failing to Support Russell Wilson Is a Recipe for Disaster

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson wasn't terrific in a loss Sunday to the Kansas City Chiefs, but he certainly wasn’t awful either.

He was good, and often great. He made key throws when needed to prolong drives and created positive outcomes from broken plays. He ran the read-option masterfully yet again, rushing for 71 yards. Since the Seahawks’ Week 4 bye, Wilson has recorded three 100-plus-yard rushing games, running for 484 yards in total during that stretch at a pace of 8.6 yards per carry.

He was that Wilson in a 24-20 loss that dropped Seattle back to a tie with San Francisco for third place in the NFC West. He was his normal self, complete with the same deception and elusiveness showcased almost weekly.

But this time it wasn’t enough.

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Since Week 5, Russell Wilson has 484 rushing yards. Only players with more: Murray, Foster, Lynch, Charles

— kenneth arthur (@KennethArthuRS) November 16, 2014"

It wasn’t enough because separation downfield didn’t exist.

On his 32 pass attempts, Wilson completed only four throws that resulted in gains of 15 yards or more. Running followed by more running with pounding abuse is the Seahawks’ offensive identity. But eventually stretching the field has to happen, and an inability to do that was a glaring probelm on Seattle’s final drive.

Starting from his own 5-yard line with just under three minutes remaining, Wilson pulled another whirling stunt to avoid a safety on third down and somehow find wide receiver Doug Baldwin for a 23-yard connection that gave his team brief hope. But on that drive, Wilson dropped back seven times, of which four resulted in incompletions while another was a crippling sack for a loss of eight yards.

The Seahawks couldn't get past their own 20 and eventually turned the ball over on downs, allowing the Chiefs to kneel for the victory.

Baldwin was on the receiving end for six of Wilson’s 20 completions. With those catches, he gained only 45 yards. That’s an average of 7.5 yards per grab, and fellow wideout Jermaine Kearse wasn’t much better at 10.8 yards per catch (five receptions for 54 yards).

Remember when the Seahawks employed Percy Harvin and Golden Tate to provide downfield speed? Good times.

Wilson's performance also wasn’t enough because of a defense that was uncharacteristically gashed on the ground and clearly reeling from the loss of defensive tackle Brandon Mebane.

Go ahead and give Mebane the name test. Say his name to a family member who doesn’t care about football. You’ll be greeted with a blank stare. But there’s a really good chance that after playing the same game with cornerback Richard Sherman’s name, he’ll be called “that guy who yelled those things, right?”

Mebane doesn’t come with nearly as much name recognition as the likes of Sherman or Seahawks safety Earl Thomas. But like those two, he’s a crucial element in Seattle’s normally punishing defense. Now he’s gone after tearing his hamstring, an absence that left a deep void immediately.

The Seahawks weren’t suffocating their opponent's run game. They weren’t making Chiefs running backs grind and crawl for every yard, and they weren’t swarming to the ball. Instead, we saw something truly rare: The Seahawks decidedly lost physical battles again and again.

After their first two possessions, Kansas City had already accumulated 94 rushing yards. Prior to Week 11, the Seahawks were allowing only 79.8 yards on the ground per game.

The ground gushing started there and didn’t stop. The Chiefs finished with 190 rushing yards, 159 of which came from running back Jamaal Charles. He also scored twice—on each of the Chiefs’ first two drives—and chugged for two 20-plus-yard carries. One was a 47-yarder, the longest rushing gain allowed by the Seahawks this season.

Offensively, the Seahawks’ rushing identity was maintained through Wilson and running back Marshawn Lynch (124 yards at 5.1 per carry). But their core defensive identity was drained without Mebane.

Period	Rushing yards	Yds/carry	Rushing TDs	+20 yard gains
Week 11	190	6.3	3	2
Previous 9 games	79.8	3.2	4	3

Wilson wasn’t enough because the Seahawks' fundamental recipe for winning against the highest caliber of NFL competition evaporated (the Chiefs certainly meet that description with a 7-3 record and now five straight wins).

The Seahawks win games through running, stopping the run and hitting key deep passes when needed. Of those three pillars, only one was present with the exception of Lynch getting stuffed on a crucial 4th-and-1 in the fourth quarter. Prior to that, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell made a baffling call on 4th-and goal, asking Wilson to throw a fade that failed from the two-yard line instead of hammering away with Lynch.

Still, 204 total rushing yards is usually more than enough to secure a Seahawks win. But on this day, one strength was erased by fatal shortcomings in the two other areas.

Regaining the defensive half of their run dominance doesn’t get any easier for the now 6-4 Seahawks.

After sputtering against the league’s fourth-best rushing team Sunday, two games against the 49ers" target="_blank">San Francisco 49ers are still ahead, and their rushing offense is currently ranked eighth (124.8 yards per game). And although he’s struggled at times this season, Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy (Week 14) now poses a dangerous threat to a vulnerable run defense.

According to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll was optimistic earlier this week about middle linebacker Bobby Wagner returning for Week 12 after missing five games with a turf toe injury. Without both Mebane to occupy blockers up front and Wagner to fill running lanes, the Seattle defense isn't nearly as physically imposing.

If that continues, Wilson being something between good and great won’t be enough. And often, Wilson being spectacular won’t be either.