AP

The Seahawks staked themselves to Russell Wilson with a contract extension this offseason. Now, they need him to earn that money, and they’re letting him know.

The largely unquestioned quarterback has come under little scrutiny for some of the team’s struggles this year, and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell admitted Wilson needed to play better than he did in last week’s loss to the Cardinals.

Wilson threw one interception behind Doug Baldwin, along with missing him on a two-point conversion. And then there’s the continued lack of connection with tight end Jimmy Graham, and the fact he nearly took a pair of safeties against the Cardinals.

“You just have to make a better throw on it,” Bevell said of the conversion attempt in particular, via our Curtis Crabtree of KJR. “He had an opportunity to give Doug a chance and really didn’t give him a chance. Particularly on that type of situation, you want to make sure you give your guys an opportunity to make a play.”

Asked about the interception, Bevell said: “We had full progression, kind of across the board for that one,” Bevell said. “We had a chance for [Tyler] Lockett, we had a chance for Doug, and basically Russell said he just missed it.”

Offensive coordinator Tom Cable also suggested Wilson bore the responsibility for a pair of sacks, in what was really a poor day. Wilson finished 14-of-32 passing for 240 yards with a touchdown and the interception.

The critiques are hardly scathing, and only really stand out because they’re the first we’ve heard. Wilson has been hailed as the reason they’ve been so successful in recent years, but now that the results aren’t the same, he’s getting his first chance at the other side.