The Seahawks saw their season come to an end on Saturday in a 41-23 NFC Wild Card loss to the 49ers, but one bright spot for Seattle was a dominant performance by wideout DK Metcalf, who made league history, shining light on a bright future.
The Ole Miss alum didn't allow early rain or the road atmosphere to deter him when his team needed him most, catching 10 passes for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns. After going the final-four games of the regular season without a score, Metcalf beat 49ers corner Charvarius Ward on a fade for a 50-yard score to give Seattle the lead in the second quarter. The deep bomb gives Metcalf his third career touchdown of 50-plus yards in the postseason, tied for the second most wideout in league history.
Metcalf explained that he and quarterback Geno Smith talked about taking a deep shot like that during the week if they got the right look in coverage, and when the opportunity presented itself, Smith and Metcalf came through with a big play.
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"I like a man who's about his word," Metcalf said. "He told me during practice on Wednesday that if I was pressed on that play he was going to throw it to me. He kept his word. Excellent throw."
In four career postseason games, Metcalf has caught 26 passes for 451 yards and five touchdowns, and for the second-consecutive postseason appearance (2020), Metcalf has scored twice in a playoff game.
Quarterback Geno Smith discussed Metcalf's historic game following the loss.
"It's DK you know what I mean?" said Smith. "That's DK, clutch player. One-on-one, your DB's going to have a tough time."
In four seasons, Metcalf has notched 306 receptions, 4,218 career receiving yards and 35 touchdowns. While Seattle's year may be over, Metcalf continues to grow as a player and show his value to the franchise. At just 25-years-old, Metcalf may have more opportunities in his future to set playoff records.
"He's a fantastic player," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. "He's an amazing player and he just came through again. There was a lot of big strong tough-guy stuff that he did. The tough slants and getting inside of those guys when they were grabbing and clawing and all that to come through to make the catch. The deep ball was awesome. It was a great throw and catch, and great route and all of that. He was really good today."
Check out some of the best action shots from the 2022 Wild Card Round vs. the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on January 14, 2023. Game action photos are presented by Washington's Lottery.
