If there were a sign outside the NFL playoffs that read “Caution, you must be above this height to advance,’’ then Russell Wilson would not be allowed to ride. But there are no such restrictions, which is why Wilson is moving on and taking his Seahawks along for a spin.
Wilson is The Gnatural, a pint-sized passing Picasso, the last rookie quarterback standing as he leads the juggernaut Seahawks into Atlanta to try to take down the top-seeded Falcons in Sunday’s NFC divisional playoff game at the Georgia Dome. If anyone wants Wilson to “step up’’ in the postseason, he likely will need a step-stool. But even while standing on solid ground, he has stood tall enough to make his upstart team a viable threat to knock off the high-flying Falcons.
“I do believe we play with a chip on our shoulder because we have an energy that makes us want to prove ourselves every week,’’ Wilson said after guiding the Seahawks to a 24-14 victory over the Redskins in a wild-card game at FedEx Field. “We can play with anyone, any time and any place. That is our mentality.’’
Why not? Defying the odds has not been an issue for Wilson ever since he set foot in the NFL. He’s listed at 5-foot-11 but that’s on a good day, and yet this Elfin Evader, this Running Runt has bedeviled the league. Part of a much-hyped and incredibly precocious rookie quarterback class, Wilson was a distant third behind Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck in terms of publicity and praise as the season went on. But Luck was eliminated by the Ravens and Wilson played a big part in ending RG3’s season, although Griffin’s right knee injury surely played a huge role in the Redskins’ offensive meltdown in the final three quarters on Sunday.
Wilson did not put in a dominating performance against the Redskins, but was a pest throughout the game and avoided any glaring mistakes. In his first NFL playoff game, he completed 15 of 26 passes for 187 yards and one touchdown — his 27th, the most ever by a rookie in a single season (including the playoffs). Plus, he scrambled — often on designed option runs — eight times for 67 yards. He’s more instinctive-quick than he is pure speed, ala a healthy Robert Griffin III, but Wilson doesn’t take as much of a beating, sliding rather than taking a big hit. That doesn’t mean he avoids contact, as he exhibits a rare — and possibly unwise — tendency to race downfield as a lead blocker, which he did on Marshawn Lynch’s 27-yard scoring run, actually beating Lynch into the end zone.
“The way Russell Wilson is, that’s his personality, he wants to show everyone how good he is, he wants to be the best at everything he does,’’ tight end Zach Miller said. “He’s such a competitor, rallies the guys, taking such a leadership role too, just talking to us in the huddle, making sure we know what the situation is. If we need it, give us a little pep talk.’’
This is not the usual role filled by a rookie but Wilson, a half-pint hurler, a passing pipsqueak, is no ordinary rookie. Winning a road playoff game is no insignificant accomplishment, considering the Seahawks were 1-8 all-time on the road in the postseason and hadn’t won away from home since 1983. Wilson was also far more effective in Seattle in his first season, going 8-0 and throwing 17 touchdown passes and only two interceptions. On the road, he was 3-5 with nine TDs and eight interceptions.
Now comes a meeting with the more experienced — and much taller — Matt Ryan and the Falcons, who are 13-3 and face enormous pressure to get past this game. Ryan and head coach Mike Smith have had big success in the regular season but are 0-3 in the playoffs.
“They’re a great team, obviously they’ve been the No. 1 seed for a while,’’ Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman said. “They had a nice run but we’re going to go out there and try our best to stay on top.’’