Getty Russell Wilson and the Seahawks were shutout against the Packers.
Nothing about the Seattle Seahawks’ performance against the Green Bay Packers looked normal as Russell Wilson’s return to the field did not have a Hollywood ending. Wilson repeatedly cited “two plays” as the difference in the game referring to his two interceptions as the deciding factor.
The Seahawks quarterback did not look like himself finishing with just 161 passing yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 50% of his throws. Seattle’s offensive struggles cannot simply be chalked up to Wilson’s rustiness after being sidelined with a fractured finger.
The Seahawks’ 20.1 points per game puts them near the bottom of the NFL at No. 22 for the season and the offensive woes date back to before Wilson’s injury. Wilson cited the 3-0 score in the fourth quarter as a reason the Seahawks “should have won that game” adding that he needs to “play better.”
“The reality was the game was 3-0 all the way until the fourth quarter or whatever and we should have won that game,” Wilson noted during his postgame press conference. “Our defense played great, guys battled throughout the whole game between two really good teams. I got to play better and that was on me. There was two plays that was really the game.”
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Wilson Shot Down the Notion That He Returned too Quickly
Russell Wilson said his finger felt fine and that he was confident in throwing the ball. Said the game came down to his two interceptions. “I’ve got to play better. That was on me, those two plays.”
Throughout his media session, Wilson emphasized that he felt fully confident that he did not rush back too quickly. Wilson only missed three games with his finger injury, returning to the field much quicker than many expected.
“I don’t second guess anything,” Wilson added. “I have 100% confidence in [the decision] and our team and what we can do and what I can do and what we’re going to do and that’s really my mindset.”
Carroll on Wilson: ‘He was Ready to Play’
Here was Pete Carroll postgame. He lauded the way the defense played and said he didn’t think Russell Wilson’s finger was affecting his throws. He said all the shotgun/pistol was to avoid banging his finger on snaps.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll backed the team’s decision to start Wilson against the Packers. Carroll admitted that Wilson “had a couple bad plays” in his return.
“Played really hard and really tough and defense kept us in the game all night long,” Carroll told reporters after the loss. “Russ tried to get a throw in the end zone there when we had a chance there. We had a field goal that we could take. He tried to stick it in behind the guy, and it just didn’t quite fit. He made a mistake, he knows it. Then he chucked the other one just in desperation just to try to see if we could get back in the game. He had a couple bad plays.
“I know you’re wondering, was he ready and all that kind of stuff. He was ready to play and there’s no other information leading into this that could tell us any different. He was pumped, got after it and all that and they did a nice job tonight. They’re a good defense. We couldn’t get enough going on to make the points we needed. They couldn’t either until they did.
“So, it’s a big opportunity that we missed out on. It’s disappointing, this was a real shot, and we could feel it and we knew it. And unfortunately, we couldn’t get the right plays made at the right time to get it done.”
As Wilson walked away from the podium, the Seahawks quarterback noted that, “we’ll be back better.” The challenge is the Seahawks are running out of time as the postseason is moving away from the team’s grasp in a difficult NFC West.