INGLEWOOD—The Seahawks left Los Angeles with a big win, a 37-23 victory over the Chargers that moved them into first place in the NFC West, but they also lost one of their top players, receiver DK Metcalf, to a knee injury in the first quarter.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said X-rays showed no damage, but an MRI will need to take place Monday before they know the severity of the injury.
"He came down on his knee in an odd way," Carroll said. "X-rays showed nothing, but we're going to have to take him back and get him tested and checked out with MRIs and all that stuff to make sure. So we'll have to wait and see. I can't tell you, sorry."
Asked later about why Metcalf was ruled out so quickly, Carroll said, "He did something to his knee, his knee wasn't feeling right. He landed funny, and that's kind of all I know about it right now. I'm thrilled that there was nothing on the X-rays, that's one test, we've got to get another test when we get back.
With Metcalf out for most of the game, Marquise Goodwin stepped into a bigger role and had his best game as a Seahawk, catching four passes for 67 yards, including a pair of touchdown grabs.
"If DK's going to take a little bit to get back, (Goodwin) will jump into a role where we'll really feel confident using him," Carroll said.
In addition to Metcalf's injury the Seahawks also lost linebacker and special teams captain Nick Bellore and guard Phil Haynes to concussion. Bellore's injury happened on the opening kick of the second half when, while making a tackle, he took a knee to the head.
Haynes injury was less obvious, and in fact he was removed from the game because the independent spotter noticed something, triggering the mechanism that calls for a player to be removed from the game and evaluated for a concussion.
"That's awesome, because they brought him out, and he did need to be taken out of the game," Carroll said. "So that's the system working."
Outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu also went down with an apparent injury in the fourth quarter, but was able to return, and Carroll said, "He cramped up, so he's OK."
Check out some of the best action shots from Seahawks vs. Chargers at SoFi Stadium on October 23, 2022. Game action photos are presented by Washington's Lottery.
