Getty DK Metcalf is primed for another monster season in 2021.
DK Metcalf has emerged as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, but the Seattle Seahawks star was mostly quiet in the team’s opening victory over the Indianapolis Colts. After the game, Metcalf was asked about his limited workload, but the Seahawks receiver does not seem concerned.
“That’s how the game goes sometimes,” Metcalf told reporters. “We were putting points on the board, so that’s all that matters and came out with the win.”
Metcalf ended the day with four receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown but was especially quiet to begin the game. The receiver’s 15-yard touchdown reception with 6:41 to go made his stat line look a little more respectable.
Both Metcalf and Tyler Lockett led the team with five targets against the Colts. The Seahawks receiver earned a 76.4 grade from Pro Football Focus for his performance in Week 1.
Carroll on Metcalf: ‘He’s No Secret Anymore’
During his coach’s show on ESPN 710 Seattle, Pete Carroll noted Metcalf was “great about” not receiving as many targets in the season opener. The Seahawks coach explained that Metcalf is no longer a surprise to opposing defenses. Metcalf is coming off a career year notching 83 catches for 1,303 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2020.
“He’s no secret anymore,” Carroll explained. “These guys know who he is.”
Carroll on Metcalf’s Quiet Start: ‘He Did a Good Job Hanging… Making Some Big Plays in the Second Half’
Metcalf’s quiet first half was not by design as Carroll explained there were certain play calls where the ball normally ends up in the receiver’s hands. Carroll praised Metcalf for maintaining focus throughout the game.
“Yeah, we had some calls to him though, it just didn’t happen [in the first half],” Carroll noted in his postgame press conference. “He had a good game, he had a really good game. His mentality was great, and even though he got the taunting penalty, he was stirring it up and it caught him. He was totally clear and poised about it. It just didn’t work out quite the way he had planned.
“He did a good job hanging and coming back and making some big plays in the second half. The touchdown pass with he and Russ was about as perfect as you can do it. Russ looked up perfectly and threw the ball and ripped it to him and hit him in the back of the endzone. There’s a bunch of plays we’re going to make together.”
Wilson: ‘The Touchdown to DK, I Mean, It Was Perfect’
Metcalf’s late touchdown may have looked easy, but Russell Wilson emphasized they have worked hours together on the seam route that led to the star receiver finding the endzone. Wilson explained that they specifically worked on this route together this summer when the receiver visited his offseason home in San Diego, California.
“The touchdown to DK [Metcalf, I mean, it was perfect,” Wilson said, per Seahawks.com. “We’ve spent probably an hour and a half one day on just the seam routes and just spending time together early in the morning, it literally came to life. That’s like the best part when you get to spend that much time on stuff, visualize that on film and critiquing what I could’ve done different or what that guy could’ve done different or hey if we do this like this and then it shows up.
“That’s the mastery that we want to get to of the thought process and the plan and everything else. It showed up tonight and you know the great thing is, is that was a huge win, but it doesn’t mean anything yet, we’ve got a lot to do, and we want to keep improving on it and we want to keep growing off of that.”