- The Checkdown's daily collection of football culture stories for November 8th, 2017. This is the Extra Point.*
This may be one of the best plays of 2017 (so far)
We saw some vintage Seahawks ridiculousness during last night's TNF. On a 2nd-and-21, Russell Wilson escaped no less than three Cardinals defenders, spinning and pump-faking deep into his own backfield, then found enough room to throw a strike to Doug Baldwin, who nearly took it to the house for a 54-yard gain. The craziest part is that Doug Baldwin wasn't running a route on that play -- he was run-blocking.
Wilson found Jimmy Graham in the end zone on the next play to finish the drive.
Earlier in the week, Cardinals coach Bruce Arians was asked if he needed to prepare his team differently for Wilson than other quarterbacks. His response was an emphatic yes.
"Heck yeah, heck yeah," Arians said, via SeahawksWire. "He's so different, and he's so good at what he does; he'll kill you from the pocket, but he'll really kill you out of the pocket. You have to get pressure, but you have to be smart about it."
So even knowing Wilson is capable of plays like that, and specifically preparing for it, still isn't enough to stop it. I saw some reactions referring to the catch as a "miracle" play but I think this is more of an example of talent, creativity, and awareness from both Wilson and Baldwin.
Throughout the week, The Checkdown has been awarding players for midseason excellence. Our first annual (yet still very prestigious) **Middies Awards** recognized such categories as Best Cat on Field, Most Valuable Hair, Most Missed Missing Bicycle, and the Top Ten Celebrations of 2017 (so far).
Good news for Browns fans: recently reinstated WR Josh Gordon hasn't lost a step
J.J. Watt received this letter from Astros star Jose Altuve after Houston won the World Series.
Watt threw out the first pitch for Game 3,and it wasn't the first time he'd taken the mound.
Not pictured: the fine whiskey. A mystery.
The commish was out on the town last night, handing out Super Bowl tickets
If athletes go back to starring in video games, we figured out some good ones for NFL stars
