Why Seahawks are 5-0: Russell Wilson, DK Metcalf Mexico workouts, all sharing QB’s belief
What all this really comes down to — DK Metcalf’s ridiculous catches, Russell Wilson’s coolly clutch throws and these astounding last-play victories for these Seahawks — is belief.
Belief that no matter how much time remains (it was 1:57 Sunday night) or how far they must go (94 yards against Minnesota), Wilson will win.
Where’s that belief come from?
It comes from the relentlessly positive quarterback’s self-described “neutral mind” he hones almost daily with his mental-conditioning coach, Trevor Moawad from Lakewood.
It comes from Wilson’s 34 comeback victories in the fourth quarter and overtime. That’s the most in the NFL since 2012, when the third-round pick supposedly too short to make it in the NFL became Seattle’s starter from the first game of his rookie season.
Heck, it just happened the last time he played inside CenturyLink Field before Sunday. Wilson’s rally in the fourth quarter and touchdown throw to DK Metcalf with 1:47 left beat Dallas on Sept. 27.
And this belief comes from Wilson and Metcalf grinding, throwing and catching, for hours and days and weeks, in 102-degree heat in Mexico this offseason, during a pandemic.
“It was like ol’ Cabo,” Wilson said late Sunday, laughing.
Incredible.
The relentlessly believing, 31-year-old quarterback and his 22-year-old, offseason workout partner in the heat down south turned belief into another bonkers victory for these undefeated Seahawks.
The last-second, 27-26 victory for Seattle over the shocked Minnesota Vikings is the latest product of the bond between Wilson and Metcalf. Wilson calls him “one of my best friends.”
It’s a brotherhood and friendship that defies the relative short time — 17 months — they’ve been teammates.
“It shows the connection that we have,” Metcalf said of Seattle’s latest winning play. “My whole mind, my whole thought process, while we are on the sidelines (before the final drive), I just wanted to tell Russ: ‘Let’s just go back to San Diego. Let’s just go back to Mexico. Let’s do what we know how to do.
“’And how to win.’”
The belief at the end
Wilson and the NFL’s co-leader in yards receiving entering Sunday connected six times for 93 more yards and two more touchdowns.
More telling, on the two plays Seattle absolutely had to have to be 5-0 for the first time in franchise history, Wilson looked squarely for Metcalf, and not veteran, No. 1 receiver Tyler Lockett.
Wilson threw to Metcalf on six of his final nine throws on the Seahawks’ must-have, game-winning drive Sunday night.
That’s belief.
Fourth and 10, 1:21 remaining. Seattle at its own 23, down 26-21.
Tight end Will Dissly said the Seahawks’ belief is so strong they were telling themselves: “We got ‘em right where we want ‘em.”
Wilson and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer knew entering the game the biggest plays allowed by Minnesota’s malfunctioning defense during the Vikings’ 1-3 start had been by their young cornerbacks letting receivers get behind them. Specifically, by rookie third-round draft choice Cameron Dantzler.
With the game at stake, Wilson saw Metcalf one on one with Dantzler out wide left. Schottenheimer sent Metcalf on a go route down the left sideline. As Wilson’s lofted ball floated through the Seattle rain, Dantzler stood. He was anchored and awkwardly twisted into the wet turf. The rookie freezing allowed the 6-foot-4 Metcalf to jump uncontested for the ball. That turned Metcalf’s physical superiority into a relatively easy, though pressure-packed, leap and grab for a 39-yard gain.
The Seahawks’ unbeaten streak stayed alive.
“Fourth and 10. Clutch situation. Gotta make a play,” Wilson said. “Kind of looking across the board to everybody.”
Yeah, right.
“And obviously DK,” Wilson added.
“I looked down the field and just tried to give him a chance. Give him a chance to put his hands on it.
“Sure enough, he makes an unbelievable catch. I don’t even think I got to see it, to be honest with you. I think I was on the ground. I don’t even know. But I know everybody was celebrating on our sideline.”
Now from the Vikings 38, Wilson spun away from what would have been his fifth sack. He spun to his right and threw 17 yards to Lockett on one of their trusted improvisational routes to the sideline.
That’s belief, too.
“We knew. Even when it was fourth and 10, it was like, we’re going to find a way,” said linebacker K.J. Wright, the longest-tenured Seahawk, at 10 years. “We just have to believe as a team, if we have Russell at quarterback, anything is possible.
“His Hall of Fame career, he just keeps adding to it. I love him as a teammate.
“I love him.”
At the Vikings 21 with 1 minute left, the beloved Wilson found Metcalf open in the short right outside for 15 more yards, to the Minnesota 6. Then, three straight incomplete passes. Two targeted Metcalf. One looked like the winning touchdown, right at the goal line on Minnesota’s Mike Hughes, but Metcalf lost the ball as he hit the pylon.
The final play
Fourth and goal at the 6, with 20 seconds remaining. The Seahawks call time out. Schottenheimer and Wilson settle on a play that had four receivers, two flexed tight off each edge of the line, with one wing each off the line. Metcalf was on the line left, just outside Lockett as the left wing. Metcalf ran across the field from left to right in the middle of the end zone. As a diversion, rookie Freddie Swain ran across the field in front of Metcalf, from right to left.
All parties afterward tried to assert Metcalf wasn’t necessarily Wilson’s first option of the final play.
But, c’mon. Wilson wanted one guy.
He waited for Metcalf to clear Swain, and for Metcalf to get Minnesota’s Hughes on his back hip. When that happened, Wilson threw the ball to Metcalf’s left, into this run, away from Hughes’ tight, desperate coverage. Wilson zipped a dart that Metcalf reached, grabbed and held onto like the prized possession it was.
“DK did a great job of just running away from his guy, and just closing off the window (for the defender to cover),” Wilson said.
Seahawks win, 27-26, on their final offensive play. Despite not converting a third down all night. Despite running just 52 plays on offense, to Minnesota’s 83.
It is the latest reason Wilson calls Metcalf “the greatest in the world at what he does.”
“Just all those reps that we’ve practiced in the offseason, in the summer, all the time just together, one on one, just really came and showed up tonight, sure enough in that special moment,” he said.
Metcalf says he wants to be considered among the best wide receivers in football. But he says he has ways to go to reach the level of Deandre Hopkins, Julio Jones, Michael Thomas or Odell Beckham Jr.
“You know, the great ones don’t shy away from those opportunities. The great players make great plays in big-time moments,” Metcalf said.
“And I want to be considered one of the greatest.”
It’s catchy
By now, Wilson’s belief has spread to the entire team.
How else to explain the Seahawks’ defense Sunday night?
The last-ranked unit in the NFL allowed Minnesota 201 yards rushing — 112 by backup Alexander Mattison, who was playing because league rushing leader Dalvin Cook strained his groin early in the second half. Seattle allowed the Vikings to roll up 449 yards in all. The Seahawks allowed the Vikings to drive to the Seattle 6-yard line with 2 minutes left while holding a 26-21 lead.
A short field goal would have assured at least overtime; it would have given Minnesota an eight-point edge for Wilson’s final drive. But Benson Mayowa believed, too.
On third down, Minnesota called an end-around run for Adam Thielen. The Vikings’ premier wide receiver got through the missed tackle of Seattle safety Quandre Diggs. Then Mayowa, Seattle’s defensive end who has made multiple huge stops since signing this offseason after the Raiders gave up on him, ran from inside to hit Thielen down a yard short of the first down.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer believed after 201 yards rushing, one more on fourth down from the 6 would win the game.
The entire Seahawks sideline cherished the chance. They believed they would make the play that would give Wilson the ball back, and believed again that their wholly believable quarterback would then win the game. Again.
That’s what happened.
“I believe this is one of the top three or four most impressive things I’ve seen this team do,” Wright said. “And I knew that once we made that fourth-down stop, I was like, ‘We’re about to win.’
“You guys should see the confidence that we have on the sideline. Everyone was just so positive and optimistic.”
Mayowa submarined his blocker at the snap and took up the assigned running hole. The unsuspecting Mattison ran right into him, and into All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner, for no gain.
Seattle’s — and Wilson’s — ball in a five-point game instead of game over.
“A lot goes into this, and they have to feed off one another and support one another in ways,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “That comes from a really deep-seated belief that you can get it done.
“You watched them go down the field on us. Why would we think we could stop them on fourth down, you know? But, we did. Third down and fourth down.
“The resilience that it takes to come through in situations like that comes from somewhere. It comes from belief that you are going to get it done. If you don’t feel like that, then you relent. And that’s not what these guys are about.”
Really, the belief comes from Wilson.
Wilson said on the sidelines “Bobby and I were talking about it: ‘We’ve been here before. We’ve been here before.’”
“Calm and neutral in the moment. Our mind is not too high, not too low,” Wilson said. “We’re neutral, talking about, ‘We’ve been here before. We’ve been here before. We know what’s going to happen.’
“Sure enough, it worked in our favor.”
Yet again.
As he walked away from the camera to end his remote, Zoom press conference late Sunday after his latest winning play, Metcalf had a parting gift for his Mexico workout partner this offseason.
“Russ,” Metcalf bellowed, “for MVP.”
This story was originally published October 12, 2020 at 7:28 AM.
