Washington Football Team: Three keys to victory in Week 15 vs. Seattle
No. 2 – Swarm Russell Wilson
Against the Seattle Seahawks, this defense, which has put the entire league on notice with its performance against the 49ers, has a unique challenge. What is that challenge? Stopping one of game’s best quarterbacks, Russell Wilson.
With that said, there is a weakness to Russell Wilson’s game: He gets sacked a lot. His 40 times being sacked is second to only Carson Wentz (50), for the most-sacked quarterback in the NFL.
Russell Wilson is sacked a lot for two main reasons: His offensive line leaves room to be desired, although it has been improved this year, and he loves to extend plays to the point that it sometimes hurts his team.
To beat the Seahawks, the Washington Football Team defense, and specifically, the defensive front, will need to swarm Russell Wilson. He loves to scramble and make plays off-schedule. The Washington Football Team cannot let him do that.
They have to play to get to the quarterback. However, they cannot over-pursue and allow Russell Wilson to be able to attack the line of scrimmage and make some of those miraculous off-script plays that fans have become accustomed to seeing from Wilson. When the Washington Football Team generates pressure, they need to either sack Russell Wilson, or swarm to him when he escapes, making his ability to create off-script harder.
The Washington Football Team has the personnel for that as well. Montez Sweat and Chase Young are athletic juggernauts. Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen are also very athletic. They just need to capitalize on their athleticism.
Something to monitor is the status of RT Brandon Shell. He is currently a game-time decision. His loss would be key. A backup tackle against Chase Young, Montez Sweat, and Ryan Kerrigan could spell great success for the Washington Football Team front.
Against the Seahawks, the defensive front is going to need to swarm Russell Wilson. They need to continue to live up to the hype. If not, that vaunted Russell Wilson deep ball to D.K. Metcalf could be seen a few times.