Despite the 34-31 loss, Saturday's game against the Cardinals marked a milestone day for Russell Wilson, who set career-highs in pass attempts (45) and passing yards (350), set a season-high for touchdown passes (4), and set single-season career-highs for attempts (514) and completions (334). The Seahawks quarterback's Week 16 effort against Arizona has him up for Air Player of the Week at NFL.com, one of three players to be nominated.
After going into halftime of this past weekend's game with an 8-of-16 for 108-yard stat-line that saw him sacked five times and post a rating of 71.9, the Seahawks started to find some offensive consistency in the second half to rally from a 14-3 deficit. Wilson finished the day 29-of-45, passing for 350 yards and tossing four scores, including one each to Doug Baldwin, Jimmy Graham, Jermaine Kearse, and Paul Richardson, good for a 117.8 passer rating.
"We didn't play very good in the first half, we kind of put ourselves behind the eight ball there," Wilson said following the team's Christmas Eve game at CenturyLink Field. "We had a great second half, it showed the resilience of our football team and what we're capable of. The fight is there, and that's what you want.
"You've got one regular-season game left, on the road against the 49ers, an NFC rival. We know that will be a battle for sure. We have to figure out what we can do better and what we did well and continue to improve on that, especially heading into the playoffs."
For the Air Player of the Week honor, Wilson is up against Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who completed 28-of-38 passes for 347 yards and four touchdowns for a 136.6 passer rating in a 38-25 win over the Minnesota Vikings, and Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford, who completed 34-of-50 passes for 382 yards and three touchdowns for a 110.6 passer rating against the Packers.
Fans can vote for Week 16's Air Player of the Week right here, with a $2,000 donation in the winner's name going to support USO programs that keep service members connected to family, home, and country as they transition from military to civilian life.
Action photos from Seahawks vs Cardinals during Week 16 at CenturyLink Field.