This is not Russell Wilson’s first rodeo. In fact, Wilson has missed the playoffs only once in his entire career, last season when Seattle finished right outside the Wild Card race at 9-7. The man has compiled an 8-4 record in the postseason, made it to two Super Bowls, won one and never, not once since his first playoff appearance in 2012, has been one-and-done.
If the Seahawks are able to beat the Dallas Cowboys on the road as underdogs on Saturday night, Wilson will be the reason why. Still, what kind of passing performance can you expect from one of the league’s true franchise quarterbacks? BetDSI has a prop bet for your enjoyment.
Will Russell Wilson pass for more then 275.5 yards?
Wilson has enjoyed an elite quarterbacking season where he almost single-handedly willed Seattle into the postseason. The Seahawks finished 10-6 and while they were swept by the eventual NFC West Champion Los Angeles Rams, both games were nailbiters (33-31 and 36-31).
Related: NFL Betting Guide | Wild Card Odds
Will Wilson hit 276 yards passing or more against the Cowboys? Let’s take a look at his passing performances this season.
Wilson has only surpassed that number twice this year, once in a, 27-24, loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 1 (298 yards) and next in a Week 12, 30-27, victory over the Carolina Panthers (339). As good as Wilson is, with offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer calling the plays, this is not a prolific passing offense.
Under Schottenheimer, the Seahawks are a run-first offense and their backs have the stats to show it. It’s interesting that none of the running backs Seattle employs are particularly special, at least up to this point in their careers. There’s a chance that rookie Rashaad Penny turns into a real playmaker down the road, but this year he was good for 85 carries, 419 yards and two touchdowns.
The bulk of the workload fell to second-year man Chris Carson. Carson was an afterthought last season, rushing just 49 times for 208 yards. This year Carson carried the ball 247 times for 1,151 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 4.7 yards per carry. While not super dangerous in the passing game, he did contribute 20 catches for 163 yards.
When Carson wasn’t getting the carries, Mike Davis was his primary back up. Davis toted the ball 112 times for 514 yards and four touchdowns. He was more involved in the passing game with 34 catches for 214 yards and a score.
Those three backs combined for 2,085 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. And that’s not even counting Wilson when he keeps the ball. He’s one of the league’s deadlier runners. Wilson finished with 376 yards rushing himself.
This was an underperforming year for Seattle’s wide receiving corps. Not a single pass-catcher went over 1,000 yards. Tyler Lockett finished with 57 catches for 965 yards and 10 touchdowns. The underrated (and underused this year) Doug Baldwin caught 50 passes for 618 yards and five touchdowns.
Add to that the fact that the Dallas Cowboys are one of the league’s top defenses and it’s not likely Wilson will hit that mark. Over his last five games (games in which the Seahawks went 4-1), Wilson passed for 185, 72, 237, 271 and 152 yards. There’s no reason to believe he’ll come close to 276 yards Saturday night. The under is easily the smartest bet to make here.
