At one point of the second half on Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks offensive line had three backups on the field and a rookie at right tackle.

Center Patrick Lewis never had started an NFL game. Rookie Garry Gilliam, who replaced left guard James Carpenter in the second half, never had played guard in a game in his life.

So maybe everyone who was quick to judge a rare poor performance by quarterback Russell Wilson should take those things into consideration.

“He wasn’t connecting like he normally does,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said about Wilson on Monday. “He was a little high with the ball and maybe a little quick getting rid of it. Timing was just not normal.”

Wilson completed only 17 of 35 passes for 179 yards and no touchdowns. But any quarterback would have been hard-pressed to have a great day under the circumstances Wilson had on Sunday.

“He had a normal person’s day,” Carroll said of Wilson. “He wasn’t quite as sharp as he has been. That’s already gone. That game is already behind us as far as I’m concerned. We move ahead and go back on track again.”

Starting center Max Unger is expected back for this weekend's game against the New York Giants, and left tackle Russell Okung also might return. A healthier offensive line will help Wilson make up for one bad day.