Good afternoon, 12s.

Here's a look at what's 'out there' for today - Thursday, December 20 - about your Seattle Seahawks:

PFF Analyzes Russell Wilson's 2018 Campaign

Pro Football Focus included Seahawks signal caller Russell Wilson in its list of top-tier quarterbacks prior to the start of the season, and with two games to play in the regular season, the analytics website says Wilson has lived up to expectations this year.

Through Week 15, PFF notes Wilson has recorded one of the best single-season big-time throw percentages the NFL has ever seen, defining a big-time throw as a pass where ball location and timing are typically further down field and/or into a tighter window, or as a pass thrown perfectly between two levels of the defense. In 2018, Wilson has made those types of throws at a higher percentage than anyone over the past three seasons. PFF writes:

On 377 pass attempts this season, Wilson has made 35 big-time throws, giving him a big-time throw percentage of 9.3%, which is the third-highest mark among qualifying quarterbacks in the PFF era (since 2006). Future Hall-of-Famer Aaron Rodgers ranks sixth this season with a mark of 6.1% and Drew Brees ranks eighth at 5.8%. Patrick Mahomes, who has a great chance to be crowned MVP in a few weeks, ranks third with a mark of 7.6%.

Wilson's display of big-time throw expertise goes hand-in-hand with his excellence in a more traditional stat like passer rating. When given a clean pocket, Wilson has thrown for 2,241 yards, 22 touchdowns and only four interceptions, good for a passer rating of 121.4, ranking third in the NFL. When under pressure, Wilson has thrown for 784 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions, good for a passer rating of 89.2 which ranks second.

One of Wilson's best weapons throughout his career has been the deep ball, and it's been no different this year. When throwing deep (20+ yards downfield), Wilson has thrown for 970 yards, 14 touchdowns and just one interception, giving him the NFL's second-best deep passer rating (126.5), and that's especially scary because Wilson goes deep on 16.2% of his pass attempts, which is the third-highest rate in the league.

Wilson's success throwing the football comes in a season where the Seahawks are successfully running the football at a higher rate than most teams in the league. Wilson's legs once played a large role in the success of Seattle's run game, with Wilson keeping the football on zone-read plays 20.5 percent of the time during the team's Super Bowl championship season in 2013, according to PFF. In 2018, however, PFF notes the Seahawks lead the NFL with 155 zone-read attempts, but Wilson has kept the football 16 times (10.3 percent), roughly half the rate he kept the football early in his career. PFF writes: