Pete Carroll: Russell Wilson was “in great command” of the offense

[Blitz]

Getty Images

The biggest storyline for the Seahawks heading into Week One was whether the team would let quarterback Russell Wilson cook.

Wilson wanted the team to stop waiting until late in the game to show a high level of urgency on offense and he got what he wanted during Sunday’s opener in Atlanta. The Seahawks emphasized passing over running as they handed the ball off 17 times while Wilson was dropping back to pass more than twice as often.

One of those dropbacks came on a fourth down in the third quarter and it ended with Wilson dropping a pass into DK Metcalf‘s hands for an impressive 38-yard touchdown. Wilson finished 31-of-35 for 322 yards and four touchdowns in a performance that head coach Pete Carroll called “a statement” from the quarterback.

“What we’ve been doing in practice showed up,” Carroll said, via the team’s website. “Russ has been extraordinary all camp. He had a great summer throwing the ball to everybody and he had perhaps his best throwing day, numbers wise, just about as you could have. He was in great command of the game.”

One game doesn’t tell the story of a season, but anyone who watched Wilson tear up the Falcons would have a hard time imagining a reduced role for Wilson in the weeks to come.