DK Metcalf’s tough day, Russell Wilson misses Gerald Everett, Bobby Wagner Seahawks record
DK Metcalf began the game being a pain to the Titans at the end of plays.
He ended it in pain. He became injured and useless in an offense that needed him — needed anyone or anything — to save Seattle’s Sunday.
The Seahawks’ hulking, record-setting wide receiver from a year ago isn’t indestructible, after all. He injured his leg straining to reach for the line to gain on his catch on a third-down pass from Russell Wilson with 5 minutes left in regulation of Seattle’s 33-30 loss to the Tennessee Titans in its home opener.
Metcalf limped off the field following that catch, his sixth and final one for 53, mostly inconsequential yards Sunday. He returned for overtime. But on second down, Wilson threw to Metcalf and the receiver was not able to run his route. He just stopped during the throw, apparently in too much pain to finish the pattern up the left sideline.
On the next play, third and 10 from the Seahawks’ 13-yard line, Wilson took a 12-yard sack. Michael Dickson punted from the back of his own end zone. Tennessee’s subsequent drive began at the Seattle 39. All it took for the Titans to win from there was a run by Derrick Henry for a first down to set up Randy Bullock’s game-winning field goal.
Asked about an injury to Metcalf following the loss, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was vague.
“He was a little sore, yeah,” Carroll said. “I’m not sure exactly what it was. He banged his knee or something like that.”
Before the injury, Metcalf didn’t affect the game as he had late in Seattle’s opening win at Indianapolis with a touchdown. Tennessee cornerback Jackrabbit Jenkins shut down Metcalf by himself in one series early in the second quarter. Jenkins, 45 pounds lighter and six inches shorter than the 6-feet-4, 235-pound Metcalf, did something few NFL defensive backs can. He wrestled Metcalf down to the turf immediately following a short catch by his huge shoulders. Then, to end Seattle’s drive, Jenkins ripped a third-down pass from Wilson out of Metcalf’s hands just past the line to gain.
Metcalf traded post-play pushes and jawing with cornerback Kristian Fulton. Metcalf also got called for two penalties on one play, holding and offensive pass interference when he began blocking before a screen pass arrived outside left.
It wasn’t the best day of his wondrous, three-year career.
The best play for the Seahawks’ offense after halftime was a mistake by Tennessee. Blown coverage deep right in the secondary left Freddie Swain with no one within 20 yards of him on a 68-yard touchdown catch and run. Minus that gift, the Seahawks had just 164 yards in the second half and overtime.
Wide receiver Tyler Lockett said the Titans came out after halftime with an adjustment: more blitzing from cornerbacks than they usually do. That knocked Wilson and the offense off its pace and relative ease in getting first downs earlier in the game. Meanwhile, Derrick Henry and the Titans’ running game seized control of the game, keeping Wilson and the Seahawks’ offense on the sideline.
Seattle had the ball for only one drive in third quarter.
“I think that Tennessee did a great job in the second half. Even on the first drive when we got the ball moving, just the fact that they kind of did a corner blitz, it caught us a little bit off guard,” Lockett said. “It kind of stopped the progression that we had moving the ball down field.
“I think they just had some good calls going into our last couple of drives. I don’t think we were able to get first downs like we were earlier in the game and the first two quarters, which allowed us to be able to keep them on their toes, do what we want to be able to do offensively.
“When you are getting three and outs and we’re getting flags, it almost goes back to us shooting ourselves in the foot.”
As he was the previous week in the opener at Indianapolis, Lockett benefited early in the game from a defense’s attention on Metcalf. The Titans also sought to take away Gerald Everett, Will Dissly and the Seahawks’ tight-end game that had produced a touchdown and five catches against the Colts.
Lockett had three catches for 122 yards and a 63-yard touchdown in the first half. He finished with eight catches for 178 yards. He set a Seahawks record for most receiving yards through two games of a season with 278. Hall of Famer Steve Largent had 215 through two games of the 1978 season.
Everett had just one catch, for three yards. He had scored a touchdown on All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard from outside right the previous week at Indianapolis, in Everett’s Seahawks debut.
“In middle of the third quarter some time, I made mentioned that Gerald hadn’t gotten the ball much,” Carroll said. “We had had some stuff called and we had tried to get some things done and it just didn’t work out, as it happens sometimes.
“But there was not a change in our approach, other than we just didn’t get the ball to him.”
Everett was Wilson’s intended target on a play in the second quarter, into the short right flat. But the Titans’ pass rush from that side meant Wilson had to step up quickly to avoid it and throw a 16-yard pass almost sidearm to Metcalf for the receiver’s longest, and unintended, catch of the day.
Wilson also felt how important a consistent running game is in first-time play caller Shane Waldron’s new Seahawks offense. One week after rushing for 140 yards against the Colts, 91 from Chris Carson, Seattle had just 77 yards on 18 carries. Carson had only 31 yards on 13 rushes.
Lack of success running on early downs meant a lot of long third downs. Long-yardage plays on third downs also kept Waldron’s offense out of the quick-throwing, up-tempo mode that had been so impressive the week before in beating the Colts.
Seattle was 1 for 5 converting third downs in the first half, and just 4 for 12 for the game.
“They didn’t -- I mean, they didn’t necessarily do anything in particular,” Wilson said of the Titans’ defense. “I think Tyler had such a great game. He was remarkable. To think about what he did today. Freddie Swain had a great game. DK made some plays. And so, I think those guys just -- we didn’t have the ball that long.
“So nothing in particular (why nothing from the tight ends). I think that we can always get those guys the ball. There was a couple of opportunities here and there. But other guys had made -- showed up. Down the field, we took those guys.”
Wagner’s 20
Bobby Wagner set a Seahawks record with 20 tackles, one more than his previous career high. A whopping 16 of those were solo stops.
But many weren’t as he would have preferred. During the Titans’ 14-point rally to tie the game late in regulation, Wagner was repeatedly tackling receivers after catches underneath, in front of him. Ryan Tannehill and Tennessee’s offense took what Seattle was giving them defensively, which proved to be too much.
Asked about the 20 tackles, Wagner’s words fit Seattle’s mood.
“It’s cool. But we lost, so it doesn’t really matter,” the co-captain said.
Shell injured
Starting right tackle Brandon Shell left with a sprained knee on the next-to-last play of regulation. Jamarco Jones replaced him for the last play of the fourth quarter and Seattle’s three, failed offensive plays in overtime.
Carroll did not have an update on Shell following the game.
