Seattle QB overcomes knee injury to throw 3 TD passes
By DENNIS WASZAK Jr., Associated Press
Published: October 2, 2016, 1:43pm
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Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, right, celebrates with teammate C.J. Spiller, left, after they connected for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)Photo Gallery
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Russell Wilson’s efficient arm certainly made up for his banged-up knee.
The Seattle quarterback was sharp despite playing with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee , throwing three touchdown passes in the Seahawks’ 27-17 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday.
“I thought it was a sterling effort by the quarterback,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “Everybody was wondering and questioning what was going to happen and how he would be able to do it. He just did it. This is the best he’s looked in the last few weeks.”
Wilson was injured last week against San Francisco and wasn’t his usual mobile self in this one, but finished 23 of 32 for 309 yards while wearing a brace on his leg as the Seahawks (3-1) won at MetLife Stadium for the first time since beating the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl in 2014.
“Feeling great,” said Wilson, who was sacked twice. “I thought the offensive line did a phenomenal job. They protected really well.”
Jimmy Graham, questionable with back spasms earlier in the week, had six catches for 113 yards, including an impressive 17-yard one-handed grab in the opening quarter, while giving the Jets (1-3) fits all game.
“He’s a bad, bad man,” Wilson said. “He can do anything. He can make any play, any catch. He’s a special player.”
Added Carroll: “He’s just a monster out there.”
Wilson, who has also dealt with a sprained right ankle from the opener against Miami, went 10 of 11 for 191 yards and two TDs and a perfect 158.3 quarterback rating in the first half. He finished with minus-5 yards on five rushes for Seattle, which has a bye next weekend.
Wilson helped Seattle, making the first of three East Coast trips this season, improve to 8-5 in its last 13 games with a 1 p.m. Eastern start time.
Richard Sherman had two interceptions and Earl Thomas one as Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Jets couldn’t get much going against the NFL’s No. 1-ranked defense.
Fitzpatrick, coming off a six-interception performance at Kansas City , was 23 of 41 for 261 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall. The Jets were without receiver Eric Decker , who’s week to week with a partially torn right rotator cuff.
“We’ve beaten ourselves two weeks in a row,” coach Todd Bowles said, “and we’ve got to fix that.”
Marshall bristled a bit when asked if he thought the Jets need to evaluate the quarterback position.
“I am. Going down. In a boat. With Ryan Fitzpatrick,” Marshall said, measuring his words. “OK?”
Marshall’s first touchdown catch of the season on a back-shoulder throw to the front-left corner of the end zone over Sherman cut the deficit to four at 14-10 with 13 seconds left in the opening half. Seattle took advantage of an interception by Sherman at the start of the fourth quarter. Wilson found Graham for 24 yards — a catch challenged by the Jets but upheld by review — and then connected with Paul Richardson for 27 yards to make it first-and-goal from the 6.
On the next play, Wilson rolled to his right and lofted a pass to Christine Michael, who reached over the pylon to make it 24-10.
FLUKEY FIRST TD: Rookie Charone Peake scored his first NFL touchdown when Fitzpatrick was sacked by Cliff Avril and fumbled, but the receiver picked up the ball and zipped 42 yards into the end zone with 2:15 left that made it 27-17.
MEMORABLE GRAB: Tanner McEvoy’s first NFL catch was one for the trophy case as he was wide open downfield when Wilson hit him for a 42-yard touchdown that put the Seahawks up 14-3. McEvoy, a New Jersey native, was an undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin.
QUICK IMPACT: C.J. Spiller, who signed with the Seahawks earlier in the week , made his first big play for Seattle with an 8-yard touchdown catch early in the second quarter. Spiller had worked out for the Jets before he signed with the Seahawks, and made New York pay for not signing him, giving Seattle a 7-3 lead.
“That was the cherry on top,” Spiller said. “It’s been a crazy week.”
The drive was highlighted by a 27-yard catch by Graham and a 37-yard grab by Doug Baldwin, who held onto the ball despite taking a huge hit from Calvin Pryor, who was flagged for unnecessary roughness, putting the ball at the Jets 5.
IFEDI’S DEBUT: Seattle guard Germain Ifedi, the 31st overall pick in the draft, made his regular-season debut. Ifedi missed the first three games (ankle), but started at right guard after going through a full week of practice.
INJURIES: Baldwin came out briefly early in the second quarter after taking the hit from Pryor. He returned later in the quarter. … Bowles said Jets CB Darrelle Revis has a hamstring injury, although it was initially announced as a thigh injury. … RG Brian Winters left in the second quarter with a concussion after he banged helmets with a Seahawks defender — and was called for an unnecessary roughness penalty. He was replaced by Brent Qvale, who had started at RT.
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