Bill Belichick knows first hand how hard it is to defend Russell Wilson. The Patriots' coach has lost two of his three matchups against Seattle with Wilson under center. He needed Malcolm Butler's miracle interception to prevail over Wilson and the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. Belichick is surely hoping to have similar success when New England faces the Seahawks in Seattle on Sunday night.
Belichick, whose team is coming off a 21-11 Week 1 win over the Dolphins, offered a glowing response when asked how Wilson's skillset challenges opposing defenses. Wilson, a Pro Bowler in six of his first eight seasons, went 31-of-35 for 322 yards and four touchdowns in Seattle's season-opening win over the Falcons. During the game, Wilson joined Steve Young as the only quarterbacks in league history with 30,000 yards passing and 4,000 yards rushing.
"This guy's a tremendous player," Belichick said of Wilson on Thursday. "Honestly, I think he's, in a way, maybe underrated by media or the fans, I don't know. But I don't really see nobody better than this player.
"He can do everything. He's got, obviously, great leadership, playmaking skills. He plays very well in the most critical situations in the game; his decision making, running, passing. His passing numbers are extraordinary. You can put them up against anybody since he's been in the league. Literally, anybody, in any category, really. His winning percentage is impressive. He's there for every game; never missed a game.
"He's got a great ability to do the right thing at the right time. He has tremendous vision and sees the field extremely well. I don't think there's a better deep ball passer in the league in terms of decision making and accuracy. He attacks, literally, every inch of the field, you have to defend with him. The deep balls, the sideline, his scrambles, his ability to get the ball to his playmakers in space. And then you have to try to tackle him, which is difficult, too."
Wilson's statistics support Belichick's praise. Since becoming a starter during his rookie season, Wilson has led the Seahawks to a 96-47-1 record. He's led the Seahawks to the playoffs seven times, which includes Seattle's 2013 championship run. Wilson and his teammates were on the doorstep of becoming the first team since Belichick's 2003-04 Patriots to repeat as champions if not for Butler's game-saving pick in the final moments of Super Bowl XLIX.
Despite the Super Bowl setback, Wilson's career continued to ascend in the years following that game. He threw 34 touchdown passes in 2015 while helping Seattle advance to the divisional round of the playoffs. Two years later, he led the league in touchdown passes for the first time while helping the Seahawks return to the postseason after a one-year absence. During the previous two seasons, Wilson threw a combined 66 touchdown passes while leading the Seahawks to 22 wins despite playing in arguably the league's toughest division.
Wilson's success in 2019 kept him in the MVP conversation throughout the year before the award ultimately went to Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Wilson is again considered a contender to win the award in 2020, along with Jackson and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Belichick is impressed with the weapons Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has put around Wilson. He specifically mentioned receivers Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf, who last Sunday combined to catch 12 passes for 187 yards and a score. Belichick also lauded running back Chris Carson, saying that he runs "as hard as anybody in the league." Belichick also alluded to new Seahawks tight end Greg Olsen, who caught a touchdown pass in his first game with Seattle.
While Seattle's offense flaunts several players that will need to be monitored on Sunday, Belichick believes that containing Wilson is the key to having success against Seattle's offense.
"There are a lot of weapons there," Belichick said. "I could go on and on …. They have a lot of good players who are hard to handle when you put them all together, and it's orchestrated by Wilson. They are very very hard to defend."
