Fantasy Football: Is Tyler Lockett Worth His Rising Draft Price?
Seattle's Passing Game
With Russell Wilson’s dominance in the second half of the 2015 season, there is an unfounded narrative that the Seahawks became a passing team once running back Marshawn Lynch was shelved with an injury. Without their star rusher, there are claims that Seattle put the offense on the back of their quarterback -- but this just isn’t true.
Wilson was unreal in the second half of the season, but it wasn’t because they became a pass-heavy team. In short, it was because Wilson just played better than he did in the first half.
Cian Fahey, author of the Pre-Snap Reads Quarterback Catalogue 2016, looked at every throw from every quarterback last season and confirmed the inconsistencies in Wilson’s play from year to year.
As far as the numbers go, the Seahawks’ offense played with more pace in the second half last season -- averaging just over four more offensive plays per game than in the first half -- but they dialed up nearly identical run to pass ratios:
| Seahawks Splits | Team Pass % | Plays/Game |
|---|---|---|
| Before Bye | 56.0% | 52.2 |
| After Bye | 57.2% | 56.6 |
Even with the slightly higher pass percentage in the second half, that number would have ranked Seattle in the bottom 10 of the league in passing percentages over the course of the entire season.
Wilson will have to play out of his mind for 16 games in order for Lockett to reach his potential if the Seahawks continue to provide below-average volume in the passing game.
