HOUSTON—Tyler Lockett stat line shows an impressive performance for the Seahawks receiver, who caught five passes for 142 yards and a touchdown.
Impressive as they are, however, those numbers don't come close to illustrating how good Lockett was in Seattle's 33-13 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday.
Whether it was roasting an opposing cornerback on his way to a 55-yard touchdown catch at the end of the first half, or showing impeccable footwork and ball skills on multiple occasions to make jaw-dropping catches on the sideline, Lockett was at his very best on Sunday.
"I mean, this was another masterpiece today of just body control, getting open, using the sideline, the balls that Russ threw to him," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. "Just such a graceful, beautiful athlete. I was thinking about Lance Alworth, a guy who back in the day used to be so graceful. Tyler was just unbelievably on it today and did a great job. A bunch of yards and the big touchdown right before the half. Russell (Wilson) threw a great deep ball right there to get the score before the half."
And while Carroll compared Lockett to Alworth, a star receiver for Chargers in the 1960s, it was another Hall of Fame receiver whose name was associated with Lockett on Sunday. With his 142 yards, Lockett now has 1,023 this season, marking his third consecutive 1,000-yard season. The only other player in Seahawks history to do that is Hall of Famer Steve Largent, who on two occasions had streaks of four straight 1,000-yard seasons. And oddly enough, as Lockett noted, those two not only share a hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, but also the same birthday.
"Man, that's a blessing," Lockett said of putting himself in such rare company. "It's funny because we got the same birthday and we were born and raised in the same hometown, Tulsa, Oklahoma. It's just pretty funny that just something like that was to happen. Ultimately, I just thank God for even putting me in this position."
Lockett's big game capped a big week for the veteran receiver, who on Tuesday was named the team's nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, then later in the week was Seattle's nominee for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.
"Nothing Tyler Lockett does surprises me," Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson said. "Our Man of the Year, our guy. He does everything right. He approaches the game with everything that he has. Just his ability to maneuver his body. One of the first third downs of the game, I threw one down the sideline to him and just took a shot to him and put it over the top of the defender. Tyler was able to just put his hands up and catch it, one-two. Those are the kind of plays that make him so special. Obviously, the touchdowns and things he does too, but his craftiness is amazing."
