Seattle Seahawks defeat the NY Jets 27 – 17

If you didn’t know better, you would’ve been very hard pressed to believe that Russell Wilson spent the entire week rehabbing a balky left knee.

Wilson completed 23 of 32 passing attempts for 309 yards and two touchdowns, helping lead the Seattle Seahawks to a win over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Showing essentially zero effects of the sprained medial collateral ligament he was playing through, Wilson completed passes to eight different receivers, and didn’t turn the football over a single time. He finished the day with a QBR of 81.4, and a sterling passer rating of 133.5.

In contrast to Wilson, Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick had yet another miserable outing, increasing the clamor around the team as to whether he should be replaced in the starting lineup. Fitzpatrick did complete 23 passes out of 41 attempts for 261 yards and a touchdown, but he threw three more interceptions, giving him an NFL-high 10 interceptions thrown in only four games. He finished the day with a QBR of 41.7, and a far-less impressive passer rating of 53.0.

One of the keys of this game was how the Seahawks sub-par offensive line would handle the Jets ferocious offensive line, featuring Pro Bowler Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson, and Leonard Williams (who is ranked in the top five in the NFL in quarterback sacks). New York’s defensive line did to their part, with Williams tallying another sack and the unit holding the Seahawks to a season-low 66 yards on 26 carries as a team. But otherwise, Wilson played so well overall that it didn’t matter.

The Jets actually dominated the time of possession in the first quarter, holding the football for 11 minutes and 32 seconds out of the 15 minute quarter. But, the Seahawks — boasting a stellar defense of their own — held the Jets to only three points.

Trailing 3-0 as the second quarter began, the Seahawks ripped off two seven-play drives, going 92 and 85 yards, which ended in touchdowns. On the first drive, Wilson connected with tight end Jimmy Graham for a 27 yard completion, and then with wide receiver Doug Baldwin for a 38 yard completion. Three plays after the pass to Baldwin, Wilson completed a pass to the the newly-signed C.J. Spiller, which resulted in an eight yard touchdown completion.

After forcing the Jets to punt, Wilson again connected with Graham for a 20 yard completion. Six plays later, Wilson hit rookie undrafted free agent Tanner McEvoy for a 42 yard touchdown pass. That gave Seattle a 14-3 lead with less than four minutes left in the first half.

New York did score a touchdown before halftime, with Brandon Marshall catching a Fitzpatrick pass of 17 yards with only 13 second remaining in the first half. Both teams traded field goals in the third quarter, and then Fitzpatrick’s first interception blew the game open in Seattle’s favor. Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman intercepted a pass intended for Marshall, giving the Seahawks the ball at the Jets 39 yard line. Four plays later, Wilson hit running back Christine Michael on a six yard touchdown toss, giving Seattle a 24-10 lead.

The Jets added one more touchdown with just over two minutes left to go in the game, but were down 10 points — by a 27-17 margin — at that point in the game. After holding Seattle to a three-and-out, the Jets last drive ended in Fitzpatrick’s third interception of the day.

The Seahawks victory gave them a share of first place in the NFC West, though the team they’re tied with — the Los Angeles Rams — hold the early tiebreaker due to a head-to-head win. Meanwhile, the Jets fell to 1-3 on the year.