Getty Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf at Paycor Stadium on October 15, 2023.
The Seattle Seahawks (3-2) win streak came to an abrupt following their 17-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals (3-3) on Sunday, October 15. While Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith had several opportunities to put the game away, the Bengals’ defense proved relentless in the red zone.
The Bengals didn’t just thwart Smith, forcing two turnovers and allowing zero touchdown passes, they also got into the head of wide receiver DK Metcalf, who has a history of being unable to keep his cool.
In the first half, Metcalf unnecessarily shoved Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt to the ground and was immediately slapped with unnecessary roughness and a 15-yard penalty. While most players would be shaken up after getting tossed by the 6-foot-4, 235-pound receiver, Taylor-Britt was unbothered.
Instead of fighting back, the Bengals’ second-round pick from the 2022 NFL draft delivered a cold, two-word message to the Seahawks star.
DK Metcalf got hit with a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty for this cheapshot on Bengals CB Cam Taylor-Britt.
“Stop crying,” Taylor-Britt told Metcalf, per Bengals reporter Geoff Hobson. “I don’t get rattled. If I do, you don’t see it and it’s just to give myself motivation. Other players can’t really get to me. I played the game he wanted to play. The physical game, which is my game. Most definitely (it surprised him).”
After the game, Britt-Taylor, who tallied seven solo tackles and an interception on Sunday, told WCPO’s Marshall Kramsky that he’d been making comments to Metcalf throughout the game and that it felt like a win to see the veteran get so frustrated.
“I was talking,” he said with a laugh. “And just backing it up with my game. I’m not trying to play dirty or anything, but letting him know I’ll be here all day, and whatever he does to me, it won’t stop me from coming. And I think that kinda just got to him.”
Bengals CB Mike Hilton Said of DK Metcalf, ‘Bullies Get Bullied’
Bengals slot cornerback Mike Hilton, who recorded five total tackles, one pass defensed, and a red zone interception against the Seahawks, didn’t mince words when asked about Metcalf after the game. “The bullies get bullied,” Hilton said.
Cam Taylor-Britt vs DK Metcalf on the deep ball
“We know that’s Metcalf’s type of game. He wants to get in corners’ heads. But we knew once we put 29 (Taylor-Britt) on him, all that was dead. He’s not used to guys pushing back and getting physical with him, Once the game plan was for Cam to follow 14 (Metcalf), we knew what time it was.”
Dk Metcalf Said He Didn’t Hear the Whistle Blow Before Hitting Cam Taylor-Britt
On this play that was flagged for unnecessary roughness, DK says he was downfield & didn’t a hear a whistle blowing the play dead so he continued to block. Says he had a convo with the official about that, and that this issue came up against the Giants as well. Full answer here:
After the game, Metcalf, who was held to just four receptions for 69 yards against the Bengals, told reporters that the penalty he received for hitting Taylor-Britt was unexpected.
“The problem with that is — it happened (during) the Giants game (too), the ref I’m closest to, they don’t blow the whistle. I’m 40 yards downfield, I don’t hear the whistle,” Metcalf said, per The Athletic’s Mike Dugar.
“The ref was like, ‘I saw the play stop and I heard the whistle. I’m like, ‘I’m not worried about the play, I’m just worried about my man not making the tackle.’ I had a conversation with him and I just gotta be better and hopefully ask him to blow his whistle when the play is over.”
Seahawks Wire’s Kole Musgrove wrote, “Metcalf’s in year five of his career. The hothead act has officially worn thin. While this did not cost the Seahawks as dearly as it did in Week 1, it’s still beyond frustrating.
“Metcalf is still a beloved figure in Seattle sports, rightfully so, but if he keeps this up it’s only going to be a matter of time before the 12th Man starts to sour on him.”
DK took the blame for this interception. Said he felt the corner undercutting the route and running it for him, so he was just about to go into scramble mode. “That was my fault. That was not on Geno or anybody else. Solely my fault.”
While Metcalf didn’t take responsibility for his penalty, he did take full ownership for Smith’s fourth-quarter interception by Taylor-Britt, a pass which was intended for him, Dugar posted.