Seattle Seahawks & Indianapolis Colts News: 5 Reasons Russell Wilson is a Better QB Than Andrew Luck [Poll]
The 2012 NFL Draft gave us a lot of great quarterbacks. Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson have been the most successful of the bunch so far. Both quarterbacks have been great playing at the professional level. Denver Broncos cornerback Chris Harris said after a Week 3 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks that Wilson was better than Luck. Harris is correct for a number of reasons.
Here are five seasons why Russell Wilson has been better than Andrew Luck in the NFL so far.
1. Division
Every single season Russell Wilson has to face the San Francisco 49ers twice (sometimes three times), the Arizona Cardinals terrific pass defense twice, and the St Louis Rams defensive line twice. The 49ers have made it to the NFC Championship game the last three consecutive seasons. As for Andrew Luck's divisional competition, he benefits from playing in the worst division in the NFL, the AFC South. The winless Jacksonville Jaguars and struggling Tennessee Titans are a combined 1-9 this season so far. The Houston Texans were the worst team in league last season at 2-14.
2. Turnovers
Andrew Luck turns the ball over a lot. Wilson has started and played 36 games for the Seattle Seahawks and has 20 career interceptions -- including just one this season. Luck has started and played in 37 games for the Indianapolis Colts and has six interceptions this season. Take a wild guess who leads the entire NFL in interceptions this season? Yes, it's Luck. As of Week 5 of the 2014 NFL season, both Luck and Wilson have exactly 60 passing touchdowns. What's the difference? Luck has 33 interceptions, while Wilson has just 20.
Luck has a career passer rating of 84.3. Wilson has a career passer rating of 102.1. Again, the difference is turnovers.
3. Playoffs
Regular season numbers are great, but the postseason is where you make your legacy. When comparing Luck to Wilson in the playoffs, it isn't even remotely close.
Wilson has started five playoff games and has won four of them. Wilson has thrown an outstanding six touchdowns to just one interception in the playoffs with a 63.08 completion percentage. Luck has a 1-2 playoff record with six touchdowns and eight interceptions. Luck's passer rating in the postseason is just 70, while Wilson's is 102. Luck's dramatic come from behind victory against the Kansas City Chiefs was impressive, but again, much of the reason the Colts trailed was because Luck threw three interceptions. Luck has thrown more interceptions in one quarter than Wilson has in five postseason starts.
4. Targets
There's no doubt Wilson has the better defense behind him. But to offset that argument, Luck has had far better targets to throw to. In 2012, Luck benefited from throwing to Hall of Fame wide receiver Reggie Wayne, who caught 1,355 yards. T.Y. Hilton has also been a standout. Wilson on the other hand has never had a 1,000 yard receiver. His best wideouts have been Golden Tate, who isn't even with the team anymore, and Sidney Rice, a player who isn't even in the league anymore. Despite Percy Harvin missing almost all of last season, Wilson still threw 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
5. Mobility
Luck is actually a more mobile quarterback than most people give him credit for. Unfortunately for him, Wilson is a more effective running quarterback. Wilson has 1,237 rushing yards while Luck has about half of that amount at just 697 yards. Constantly we see Wilson extend plays with his feet and then hit the open target for a big play.
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