NFL

Kiwanuka: Seattle QB Wilson ahead of Newton, RG3

At least one Giants defensive player thinks Cam Newton and Robert Griffin III don’t belong in the same sentence with Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.

All three are young mobile passers who are especially dangerous with their feet, but Big Blue defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka said Wilson — whom the Giants will face Sunday at MetLife Stadium — is a step above his highly touted counterparts.

“That’s where the comparison stops,” Kiwanuka told The Post on Friday as the Giants (5-8) prepared to host Wilson and the Seahawks (11-2). “Mobility is a good thing to have, but Russell Wilson is a more developed quarterback [than Newton or RG3] in terms of his vision down the field, his ability to read coverage and his ability to get the ball where it’s supposed to go.”

The numbers bear that out, as Wilson comes in ranked sixth in the NFL this season with a 106.5 passer rating and seventh in the league with a 65 percent completion rate. Both figures are well ahead of Newton and Griffin.

Newton (495 yards) and Griffin (489 yards) have better rushing numbers this season, but not by much — Wilson is at 458 and soon to pass RG3 now that the Redskins reportedly have shut him down for the final three games.

“We don’t treat Wilson as just a mobile quarterback,” Kiwanuka said. “We treat him as a solid quarterback who can also run the ball.”
Wilson’s strength as a pocket passer could make it a tougher choice for the Giants to “spy” him with a designated defender (most likely a linebacker), but Kiwanuka wasn’t ruling it out.

“You can’t give away all your tricks,” he said with a smile. “We’ll see.”