Was Russell Wilson’s 2021 season actually a down year for him?
Some in the NFL landscape believe that Russell Wilson’s 2021 season was a down year for him. Is that an accurate statement?
For the first time in his 11-year career, Russell Wilson missed starts. His freak finger injury in 2021 was hardly anything significant–it wasn’t a torn ACL or a concussion, but rather a finger injury that apparently needed about a month to heal.
Sure, Wilson wasn’t 100 percent when he returned from the injury, but he missed just three starts, and when the 2021 season ended and he was shipped to Denver, some in the NFL landscape seemed to think that his 2021 performance was below what he normally does on the field.
In terms of the record, yes, they would be right, but a win-loss record is more than just the quarterback.
The 2021 Seattle Seahawks were a bad team–their defense was below par and their offensive line was putrid. Their depth was poor and it was clear that the greatness of Russell Wilson was not enough to lift that hollow roster.
From a statistical perspective, though, was Wilson’s 2021 season actually a down year for him?
Some may look at his 25 touchdown passes and think that’s a lower than normal amount, or look at the record and unfairly assume that he’s on a decline.
Let’s look at some statistics that prove that it was quite a normal statistical season for Russell Wilson, no matter what some of the doubters say.
All of the stats come from Pro Football Reference, which allows you to filter each stat column as a ranking.
Obviously, his six wins during the 2021 regular season were the lowest of his career.
His 64.8 percent completion percentage in 2021 was the 5th best mark of his career.
His 6.3 percent touchdown percentage was the 6th best mark of his career.
His 1.5 percent interception rate was the second lowest of his career.
His 103.1 passer rating was the 5th best of his career.
He also had a better than 4:1 TD:INT ratio in 2021. According to Pro Football Reference, of his career stats in the regular season, they average out to being 31 touchdown passes and 9 interceptions over a 17-game season.
Well, Wilson threw 25 touchdowns and six interceptions in 14 games in 2021.
If he had played a full season, he would have likely thrown 30 touchdowns and seven interceptions, given his touchdown and interception per game averages in 2021 through his 14 games.
So, technically speaking, his TD:INT ratio in 2021 was better than what he did in his career up to that point.
In summation, from a statistical perspective, Russell Wilson’s 2021 season was pretty average based on his career numbers.
It wasn’t his best season, and it was by no means his worst.
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I think that people who claim that Wilson is in a decline should rethink their statement.