Russell Wilson turned in one of the finest performances of his career Sunday, completing 21 of 30 passes for 345 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions in the Seattle Seahawks' 39-30 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With running back Marshawn Lynch sidelined, tight end Jimmy Graham out for the season and the defense looking vulnerable, Wilson will be asked to do more than ever before down the stretch.
Thanks to some help from ESPN Stats & Information, here are five numbers that matter when it comes to the Seahawks' quarterback.
83.3 -- That's Wilson's completion percentage on throws inside the pocket the last two weeks. He's gone 40-of-48 for 554 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions. The numbers suggest Wilson has made great strides as a pocket passer, and the coaches have been saying as much. The problem is he hasn't always had time, and because of the protection issues early in the season, Wilson sometimes bails early. But right now, he looks as comfortable as ever. On the season, Wilson is completing 71.4 percent of his attempts when staying in the pocket. That's the top mark in the NFL. And Wilson's 109.3 passer rating on throws inside the pocket is second to only Cincinnati's Andy Dalton.
4.3 -- That's the Seahawks' sack rate since Week 8, 10th-best in the NFL. In the first seven weeks, Seattle ranked dead last (11.7 percent). Pete Carroll has said he knew developing the offensive line would take time, but he also admitted that the team probably made a mistake in waiting so long before going to Patrick Lewis at center in place of Drew Nowak. In the four games Lewis has started, the Seahawks' sack rate is 6.8 percent. In the other seven games, it's been 10.5 percent. Sacks don't always tell the whole story, but clearly the protection has been better with Lewis at center.
2.14 -- The number of seconds, on average, Wilson took before getting rid of the football Sunday against the Steelers. That was fourth-fastest among quarterbacks in Week 12. It was also Wilson's fastest time in a single game this season. There are really three aspects to the Seahawks' passing attack. One is the rhythm passing game where Wilson operates from the pocket and gets rid of the football quickly. The second is designed plays that get him out of the pocket on bootlegs and such. The third is improvisation when Wilson goes outside the structure of the play. The first aspect is where Wilson has had the most room to grow. In the first 11 weeks, he took 2.72 seconds to get rid of the ball, which ranked 30th. If the protection holds up, the Seahawks would like Sunday to be the start of a trend, not just an outlier.
158.3 -- Wilson's passer rating (perfect) against the blitz the past two weeks. He's gone 18-for-23 (78.3 percent) for 308 yards (13.39 YPA), five touchdowns and no interceptions against five or more rushers. Through the first 10 weeks, Wilson was a disaster against the blitz, posting a passer rating of 66.9 (30th). All of these things are tied together. When the protection is good, he has more time to hang in the pocket. When Wilson gets rid of the ball quickly, it makes life easier for the offensive linemen. And when the Seahawks are obliterating the blitz, it makes them that much tougher to defend.
1 -- The number of quarterbacks in NFL history who have a career passer rating better than Wilson's (99.5). It's Aaron Rodgers (105.1) and Wilson in the top two spots. If the season ended today, he'd set career marks in completion percentage (67.7), YPA (8.38) and passer rating (102.9). And Wilson just turned 27 years old on Sunday. Ultimately, his 2015 season will probably be judged by what he does in the final five games and the playoffs (if the Seahawks get in). Maybe Wilson will have a rough go, and the losses of Graham and Lynch will catch up to the Seahawks. But the last two weeks have served as a good reminder that he is still a relatively young quarterback who has the ability to develop. A month or two from now, it's possible that the discussion of what his ceiling could be and what type of quarterback he is could be different than it is currently.