Wilson Will Attempt To Accomplish What Only Brady And Roethlisberger Have Done

Now that Seattle Seahawks are going to Super Bowl XLVIII, quarterback Russell Wilson will attempt to become just the third quarterback to win a Lombardi Trophy in just his second season in the league.

So far, only Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger have been able to accomplish that feat. In 2001, Brady led the New England Patriots to their first ever Super Bowl championship when they beat the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. Four seasons later, Roethlisberger led the Pittsburgh Steelers to their fifth championship in Super Bowl XL against the Seahawks.

So how did Wilson’s second regular season in the league compare to both Brady’s and Roethlisberger’s? For starters, Wilson started all 16 games this past season and that’s something that neither Brady nor Roethlisberger did. As a result of that, Wilson had more passing yards and touchdown passes than both. In addition, Wilson’s 63.1% completion rate was slightly better than that of Roethlisberger’s 62.7% in 2005 and just a tad lower than that of Brady’s 63.9% in 2001. Wilson also had a lower interception rate than both as well.

Neither Brady nor Roethlisberger have ever been regarded as running threats so it’s no surprise that Wilson’s 539 yards rushing this past season easily wins that statistical category. When it comes to the adjusted net yards per passing attempt stat, however, Roethlisberger leads the way with a 7.53 number. Wilson is second, however, with a very respectable 7.10 number.

So far in the playoffs this year, Wilson has only completed 25 passes for 318 yards and one touchdown in two games played. He hasn’t thrown an interception, however, and that’s very important to note.

When Wilson plays the Denver Broncos in two weeks, you can bet that their defense will attempt to force him to beat them with his arm, as running back Marshawn Lynch will likely be their main focus. Can he pull it off and beat the great Peyton Manning at his own game, or can he rely solely on his defense and running game to win his first championship the same way that Brady and Roethlisberger did in their first Super Bowls?