QB lights up Levi’s in way no 49er can
Russell Wilson, a greased pig of a quarterback, lit up a cold, rainy and otherwise boring game at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday, giving the local folks a glimpse of quarterback greatness, like the 49ers used to trot out back in the day.
Wilson’s stats were not astounding — 20-for-34, 228 yards and two touchdowns. What was astounding was that the 49ers got a thousand hands on Wilson yet never sacked him. They were trying to capture a butterfly with a soup spoon.
Thirty-four passes, seven scrambling runs, zero sacks. It was a show of ice-cold escapability and athleticism. The 49ers got Wilson’d.
“Russell is probably the most elusive player in the league,” said 49ers defensive end Cassius Marsh, who played for the Seahawks from 2014 through ’16.
The Seahawks are no longer a Super Bowl-caliber team. Their defense is decimated, and their offense isn’t vintage either, with no real ground game. But they’ve got Wilson, and he was the difference Sunday.
When the 49ers closed to within a point early in the second half, Wilson responded with passes of 23 yards (Doug Baldwin), 24 yards (Tanner McEvoy) and 17 yards (touchdown to Nick Vannett).
Wilson is a playmaker. If you want to win, you have to have a playmaker. And if you’re not a great team but you still want to win, you have to have a playmaker who can make stuff up as he goes. Levi’s was Wilson’s playground. No sacks? “Yeah, it does seem crazy, because it seemed like we were around him a lot,” said 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. “That’s what he does very well, though. He’s been doing it for a long time. That does surprise me — I thought we would have had more sacks.”
Niners safety Eric Reid, who intercepted Wilson’s first pass of the game, said of chasing Wilson, “It is really frustrating. In the secondary, there is a clock in your head, where you know the ball should be thrown, and when it’s not thrown you expect there to be a sack. He is the best at that. His pocket presence is 100.”
Rookie linebacker Reuben Foster got his first live look at the Great Wilson.
“I knew he was an athletic guy,” Foster said. “He’s an amazing guy. He’s shifty and he’s quick . ... That’s just a Godgiven talent that’s in him. We have to play sound defense and get after him more.”
Maybe next year.