Apparent Russell Wilson throwaway turns into TD, play-of-the-year candidate
Russell Wilson was under pressure early and often Thursday against the Los Angeles Rams.
When he found some time in the red zone late in the first quarter, pass coverage forced him to scramble. When Rams defenders eventually forced him up against the sideline, he threw the ball away to the back of the end zone.
Or so it appeared.
What initially looked like a standard throwaway on a first down in scoring territory turned into a touchdown when Tyler Lockett pulled down the pass in the back left corner of the end zone.
Better throw or catch?
The catch was equally as impressive as the throw as Lockett, blanketed by Rams safety Eric Weddle, saved the ball from sailing out of bounds and tapped both feet down against the sideline for an indisputable score.
[Watch live NFL games on the Yahoo Sports app, here's how]
It was one of the best pass-throw combinations we’ll see this season and another dazzling play for the Wilson highlight reel.
Next Gen Stats concluded that the play was the least likely pass completion since 2017.
Russell Wilson & Tyler Lockett's 13-yard TD in the back of the end zone is the MOST IMPROBABLE completion of the last two seasons (6.3%).@TDLockett12 was 0.2 yards from the sideline and 1.1 yards from the back of the end zone when the pass arrived.#TNFonPrime | @Seahawks pic.twitter.com/vgPRim3Q3h
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 4, 2019
For some quarterbacks, we’d assume the play was a case of good fortune on a ball that was obviously intended to be thrown out of bounds. For Wilson, a master improviser, we’re not doubting that was his plan all along.
More from Yahoo Sports:
