Seahawks pressure Carson Wentz unlike Wentz has been pressured all year

If the Seattle Seahawks were going to beat the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night, they most likely were going to have to force Carson Wentz into a bad game. The second-year quarterback has consistently had good games this season, not posting a rating below 80 in any contest and had thrown multiple touchdowns in all but two. A big reason for this was his protection, as Lane Johnson, Brandon Brooks, and Jason Kelce could all be headed to the Pro Bowl this season. Meanwhile, the Seahawks were 6-0 when holding opposing QBs to a Y/A under 7.0.

Wentz had a Y/A of 7.73, but after getting sacked three times, and being pressured more on Sunday night than he had been in any game all year, Seattle came out victorious.

Per ProFootballFocus, Wentz was pressured on 58% of his dropbacks against the Seahawks, compared to a season average of 32.9%. PFF notes that the 27 pressures allowed on Wentz were the most by any opponent this year -- by more than double. It was the most any QB was pressured in Week 13. Much of that came from the reinvigorated Frank Clark.

PFF has Clark with two sacks, a QB hit, and five QB hurries; his eight pressures were the most of any 4-3 DE this week and he did almost all of it from the right side. A defensive line of Clark, Michael Bennett, Sheldon Richardson, and Jarran Reed then seems pretty dangerous for a playoffs run, and with Seattle now at 8-4 and controlling an opportunity to win the NFC West with their Week 15 matchup at home against the LA Rams, anything could happen between now and February.

Here’s some more from PFF on the game from Sunday night:

• Russell Wilson was 15-of-19 for 134 yards, 2 TD, and a rating of 131.1 when not under pressure. He was under pressure on 16 of 36 dropbacks and just nine of those pressures were faulted to the offensive line, the other seven going to Wilson, running backs, and tight ends. Note: The Eagles came into the game LEADING THE NFL IN PRESSURE RATE. So this was perhaps a brilliant game by the offensive line, which now may be a top-10 unit in pass blocking with Duane Brown, Luke Joeckel, and Justin Britt all playing together. Britt is quietly having a second-team All-Pro type of season. He’s allowed just six pressures, including one sack, all season.
• Wilson still had a passer rating of 96.9 when under pressure. When Philly sent more than four pass rushers, Wilson was 3-of-4 for 51 yards and a touchdown.
• Mike Davis had 101 total yards but he also had 49 of 64 yards on the ground after contact. He forced three missed tackles on 16 rushes, which is what they need to see from backs behind this run-blocking unit. If healthy, Davis should be keeping Eddie Lacy and Thomas Rawls on the sidelines. If Chris Carson were to return before the end of the year, surely one of Lacy and Rawls would seem to get let go.
• Doug Baldwin had five receptions against five different defenders, and Wilson had a rating of 111.6 when throwing to him.
• Bradley McDougald looks like a great alternative to Kam Chancellor. He allowed 4 of 7 throws to be completed for 29 yards and had five total stops. He also had two penalties and two missed tackles.
• Shaquill Griffin allowed 4-of-7 throws for 41 yards and two pass breakups.
• Justin Coleman may be a necessary component for Seattle moving forward, past 2018, as he seems to be a potential top-tier slot corner. He allowed 4-of-5 throws to be completed but for only 18 yards. Per PFF, Coleman’s 79.9 rating allowed in the slot ranks sixth among players with at least 200 snaps in the nickel position. Another great value pickup by John Schneider just before the season.