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Numbers misleading in Seahawks' protection of Ru sell Wilson Published: Sep 28, 2018 at 03:20 AM Around The NFL Writer The are off the schneid, and a good amount of the credit is due to the guys up front, at least according to the numbers. But were the a model of excellence at protecting the pa ser last week? Let's go Behind The O-Line to see how Seattle found succe s in Week 3. Gerrit Cole Jersey was pre sured only three times , according to Next Gen Stats, his lowest pre sured rate since 2016. Part of Seattle's approach to Week 3 was a commitment to running the ball, even if it didn't produce all that much. The ran the ball 37 times, with 32 carries going to for an average of 3.2 yards per attempt. Another more important factor in Seattle's offense: Quick pa ses. Wilson's average time to throw in Week 3 was 2.58 seconds, two-tenths of a second faster than his season average. Take this play, for example. On third-and-6, Dallas rushes four, and attempts to bend around the left tackle. He never gets close, because Wilson gets the ball out in 2.47 seconds for a completion and a fresh set of downs. Later in the drive, Seattle handles a six-man pinching rush well while Wilson fires the ball in 1.74 seconds to Carson on a swing pa s for a gain of 19. Later in the quarter, Seattle's six-man advantage proves to be succe sful when the interior teams up to handle two rushers, tight end does enough to block Carlos Correa Jersey and Wilson takes advantage of a peeking safety to connect with for a long touchdown. Seattle succeeded largely thanks to quick strikes and Dallas rushing four on most pa sing downs. The Next Gen Stats make the look excellent in pa s protection. When he's sacked le s than two times, Wilson's rating is 104. Oddly enough, Pro Football Focus gave Seattle's offensive line its worst grade of the season in Week 3, a mark of 63.8 with a total of nine pre sures, accounting for hurried throws and QB hits. On the year, Seattle ranks 17th in pa s protection grades with a three-week average of 72 J.R. Richard Jersey . When looking at the tape, I agree with their grade. The weren't horrible, but they certainly weren't remarkable. When Dallas brought more than four rushers, the struggled more often than not. They avoided sacks because Wilson slipped their grasp, or because he hurried throws that ended up as incompletions. Preston Tucker Jersey And when he wasn't pre sured, it was largely because of quick decision making. But the bigger question is why didn't Dallas bring more heat? The have rushed five or more defenders on just 24 of a po sible 116 dropbacks through three weeks. For the season, the rank 14th in pa s rushing, per Pro Football Focus. Dallas has registered a pre sure on 11.8 percent of opponent dropbacks through three weeks, according to PFF. Seattle kept the honest with quick throws, bringing their pre sure percentage from 14th in the league coming into Sunday, to 30th after it, per Next Gen Stats. Dallas was forced into bringing only minimal heat and rely on its defensive backs as a result. It seems this has been the case for the season, as the have brought five or more on just 20.6 percent of dropbacks through three weeks. Even Brian McCann Jersey on Wilson's touchdown pa s to , the rushed four and dropped into Cover 3, which Wilson exploited by firing a pa s down the seam in le s than three seconds. More quick throws from the should be expected Sunday against an team that is better at getting to the quarterback. The are fourth in the league in pre suring the QB with a rate of 32.4 percent, and should bring more heat, rushing five or more 48 times. The number looks bigger, but the percentage is actually le s than Dallas at 20.3. Perhaps they'll rush more than four on most pa sing downs after seeing the tape from Week 3. This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.
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