Possessing a rare blend of size and speed that few, if any, receivers can match in the NFL, it'd be easy for Seattle Seahawks star DK Metcalf to become frustrated due to lack of targets and decide to check out with his number not being called enough.
But unlike some receivers who would let such a situation have negative influence on their all-around play, the often double-teamed Metcalf knows passes from Geno Smith will come his way eventually. Until then, as he told reporters prior to Wednesday's practice, he relishes the opportunity to help Seattle win football games in another capacity, taking pride in acting the hell out of his role as a decoy and "trying to block my ass off" in the run game as he draws extra attention from opponents.
"I just look at it as a sign of respect that I've gained from other defensive coordinators and just continue to do my job with it as blocking or being a decoy," Metcalf said. "The ball is going to find me one play or another, but if it doesn't, at least we get the dub and that's all that matters in this league is winning and to continue to win and if you continue to win, you stay relevant. So no, I'm just honing on just continuing to do my job. If the stats don't say so, then so be it. At least we get to win."
When it comes to being selfless and prioritizing winning above everything else, Metcalf wasn't blowing smoke, as coach Mike Macdonald sees a "relentless competitor" who backs up his words on game field each and every week.
This past weekend, the Cardinals consistently had a safety shading over the top on Metcalf, using bracket coverage to deter Smith from throwing his direction downfield. Though it didn't stop the Seahawks from putting points on the board as they raced out to 17-7 lead, the strategy worked well keeping the ball out of his hands early, as the former All-Pro didn't receive a single target in the first 25 minutes of game action and he was held without a catch until the 4:45 mark in the second quarter.
But while Metcalf wasn't catching passes, he still made his presence felt helping Seattle score 17 unanswered points in the first quarter. Aside from drawing defenders away from Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who took advantage of one-on-one coverage for a 19-yard touchdown reception, he lived up to his mantra of blocking his ass off with his 6-4, 228-pound frame, helping running back Zach Charbonnet rush for nearly 100 yards in the first half alone.
"He's ferocious," Seahawks tackle Abraham Lucas said on Thursday. "I think he'd be a good offensive lineman."
In the closing moments of the first quarter, Charbonnet took the handoff from Smith on a traditional power concept with right guard Sataoa Laumea pulling to the left and turning upfield as a lead blocker. The Seahawks blocked the play so well that Laumea didn't have a chance to block anyone until nearly 20 yards downfield when he got his hands on safety Jalen Thompson, while Charbonnet rumbled towards the sideline thinking six points.
Charbonnet wasn't quite able to get into the end zone, but he managed to pick up 22 yards on the run, including a few extra yards at the tail end of the play when Metcalf lived up to Lucas' high praise by overpowering safety Budda Baker and planting his backside into the turf for a pancake. Three plays later, Charbonnet punched it in from a yard out on a fly sweep to give Seattle a 10-7 lead it ultimately would not relinquish.
"There are so many plays like that that are easy to go unnoticed," Macdonald said of Metcalf's efforts away from catching passes. "But, I know this, I don't want to see him blocking me. I don't want to be out there with him blocking me."
With Charbonnet capping off the first half with a 51-yard touchdown run, the Cardinals were forced to make adjustments after halftime by playing with an extra defender in the box. This created a few more opportunities against single coverage for Metcalf, who caught three of his four passes in the second half for 33 yards and a pair of first downs, helping to seal a Seahawks road victory.
Though it was far from Metcalf's best game finishing with under 50 receiving yards and Smith missed out on a chance to hit him for a 40-plus yard reception in the first half due to a delay of game penalty, the Cardinals still felt him despite their efforts to keep the football out of his hands.
On his lone catch in the first half, Metcalf showed off his ridiculous athleticism by hurdling over cornerback Starling Thomas V to pick up a couple extra yards, turning a 2nd and 20 into a manageable 3rd and 5 situation that was converted into a new set of downs one play later. Adding in his contributions as a blocker, most notably on the aforementioned long run by Charbonnet, and he remained an integral part of Seattle's success on offense beyond the box score.
With four games left to play, assuming the ground game continues to improve and Smith-Njigba continues to create matchup problems from the slot, opponents will have to truly pick their poison in regard to how they schematically try to attack the Seahawks. Metcalf stands to benefit from both of those developments with more one-on-one chances and less double teams in his future, but even if he isn't getting a high volume of targets, expect to see him getting the blue collar work done on the outside to help him team keep winning.
