I
t wasn’t the best of seasons for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. His 149 consecutive games started streak ended because of a broken finger he suffered in Week 6.
Missing three games because of the injury, Wilson failed to throw more than 30 touchdowns for the first time since 2016. The 2016 season was the last time Wilson failed to make the Pro Bowl.
Initially, Wilson didn’t make the Pro Bowl roster this year either, but with Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tom Brady forgoing the game, Wilson is now on his ninth Pro Bowl team as an alternate. And boy, did he make the most of his appearance Thursday night in the precision passing drill during the Pro Bowl Skills Competition.
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Russell Wilson Dazzles at Pro Bowl Skills Competition
Wilson absolutely shined in the popular precision passing drill in Las Vegas on Thursday night. The drill/contest features several static and moving targets that if hit with a pass, the contestant earns points.
The nine-time Pro Bowler hit 12 targets with 16 passes in 60 seconds. On his first three attempts, he nailed three of the hardest and most-rewarding point-total targets in the competition.
With 12 “completions,” Wilson accumulated 29 points, which more than quadrupled his opponent in the competition — New England Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones, who recorded nine points.
Afterward, Wilson posted a video of his impressive performance on Twitter and joked about his finger injury.
Guess that finger stills works🤪🎯🏈 #ProBowlSkills
Russell Wilson Healthy Heading Into Offseason
The offseason is expected to be filled with trade speculation for Wilson and the Seahawks, but after the quarterback’s performance Thursday, there should be no concerns about his finger.
As Wilson put perfectly, his “finger still works.”
That appeared to be the case during the regular season as well. In his first two games back from finger surgery, Wilson had zero touchdown passes. But after that, he finished the season with multiple touchdown passes in six of the last seven games.
In the final two weeks, Wilson completed 35 of 55 attempts for 474 passing yards and seven touchdowns with one interception. One of those games was against the lowly Detroit Lions, but the other was on the road versus the playoff bound Arizona Cardinals.
Wilson has never thrown for more than 4,300 passing yards in a season, which is a total that has become rather common with the great modern quarterbacks. However, his efficiency has been off the charts.
With a 7.8 yards per attempt average in his career, Wilson ranks third among active quarterbacks in yards per pass. Despite the finger injury, he reached his career mark, averaging 7.8 yards per attempt in the 2021 season.
And while Wilson had fewer touchdowns and a lower touchdown percentage this past season than he did in 2020, he also cut down on the turnovers. Wilson had six interceptions and a 1.5% interception percentage. Both were the second-lowest marks of his career.
There’s obviously more to the decision of whether or not to trade Wilson than simply his talent, but franchise quarterbacks that can display the kind of efficiency Wilson did Thursday night and throughout his career don’t grow on trees.
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Russell Wilson Puts on a Show in Pro Bowl Competition [WATCH]