Russell Wilson was one of the early season's bright narratives.
The Seattle Seahawks' rookie quarterback turned his dazzling preseason into a starting job, but Wilson didn't look the part in Sunday's 19-13 loss to the St. Louis Rams.
Gone is the electric chemistry Wilson showed with his targets in August. He was 17-of-25 passing for just 160 yards with no touchdowns Sunday.
Defenses have found a way to close in on Wilson, and if you keep him from escaping to the edge, his chances for success are nearly wiped out. Wilson's three interceptions speak more to an opportunistic Rams defense than anything else (only one can be blamed on Wilson alone), but he struggles to complete drives. We also saw this Monday night against the Green Bay Packers.
Wilson can move -- and he was involved in more play-action passes against St. Louis -- but he's not finding his passing lanes over the middle. Seattle's simplified offense has led to Wilson's decent completion percentage, but where are the points? Pete Carroll said this week he's "holding the lid" on the passing game, but that's a challenging concept for fans to cling to with Matt Flynn on the bench.
This isn't about casting doubt on Wilson as an NFL quarterback, but we're seeing a young passer hit the wall. He remains a fiery leader with pro-level tools, but Seattle faces questions at the position heading into the heart of its schedule.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
