After blowing a 14-point lead, the Seattle Seahawks came back strong to defeat the Cleveland Browns 24-20 on Sunday, October 29.
Seahawks safety Jamal Adams helmet deflection that led to interception by Julian Love kept the team alive in the fourth quarter. With 38 seconds left in the game, quarterback Geno Smith hit rookie Jaxon Smith-Njgiba with a 9-yard touchdown, facilitated by a key outside block by wide receiver DK Metcalf.
While several viewers believed that Metcalf should’ve been called for holding, no penalty was called.
WHAT A BLOCK BY DK METCALF AND JAXSON SMITH-NJIGBA IS COMING ALIVE
“I just try to execute the best of my ability,” the 6-foot-4, 235-pound receiver told reporters in the locker room after the game.
However, when Metcalf was asked if it was “satisfying” it was to make such a clutch play after all the criticism he’s received for his inability to keep his emotions in check, costing the team several avoidable penalties, the Seahawks’ $72 million receiver balked at the question.
“It’s not even satisfying,” he said, before delivering a strong statement to his critics.
“I don’t look for any gratification or anything from anybody else outside the building. But my teammates were happy and my coaches were happy with how I blocked and played, and that’s all that matters.”
The NFL slapped Metcalf with a $16,391 fine for his unnecessary roughness penalty against Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt in Week 6. Back in Week 1, he was fined $21,854 for unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties against the Los Angeles Rams.
“I’m not going to change the way I play,” Metcalf told reporters on October 18. “I’m not going to change who I am as a player or a person.”
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Shared Credit for His Game-Winning TD With DK Metcalf
Jaxon Smith-Njigba praised DK Metcalf for the block he threw on the game-winning touchdown, saying that was Metcalf’s TD as much as his own.
Smith-Njigba shared the credit for his touchdown with Metcalf. He told reporters after the game, “That’s his touchdown as much as it was mine.”
The Seahawks first-round pick from the 2023 NFL draft noted, “We have to click on cylinders to be the best. He preaches that. But he not only preaches that, he goes out there and does it. It’s great to see that I got him just like he got me and the rest of the team.”
Smith-Njgiba finished on Sunday with three receptions for 36 yards and one score.
Pete Carroll Called DK Metcalf’s Block ‘Clean’
Pete Carroll says refs sometimes call holding on the Metcalf block at end. But they didn’t.
After the game Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll admitted that refs sometimes like to call holding on the type of block Metcalf made. “Fantastic block by DK,” Carrol said during his post game press conference. “But it was clean and the guy was looking right at him. I thought he did it perfectly.”
“He kept his hands in really tight and then released at the right time so there was no penalty. There was nothing that was wrong with that. It was exactly the way you should do it, right when we needed it most.”
One of the highlights from Carroll’s presser was when he was asked about the Seahawks (5-2) edging out division rival, the San Francisco 49ers (5-3), for the No. 1 spot in the NFC West.
“What? We are”? Carroll exclaimed.
Pete Carroll, asked about #Seahawks being in first place in NFC West after week 8, feigns he didn’t know: “We’re what??? We are?”
He knew.
The Seahawks will look to continue their win streak when they travel to take on the Baltimore Ravens in Week 9.
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DK Metcalf Sends Strong Message on Controversial Game-Winning Block