All eyes on him for everything else, DK Metcalf wins a Seahawks game with...a block
DK Metcalf gets attention — a lot of it — for his many penalties and for his scrapes with opposing players.
Fans and commentators obsess over his targets. As in, why isn’t he getting more? (he had a game high of 14 again Sunday) They scrutinize every catch. Some of the most outlandish were calling for the Seahawks to trade Metcalf following his latest after-play penalty, two weeks ago in Seattle’s loss at Cincinnati — and again after he said days later “I’m not going to change the way I play.”
Yet it’s what Metcalf is known for least that sent Jaxon Smith-Njigba into the end zone, the Seahawks past the Cleveland Browns on Sunday and Seattle into first place in the NFC West.
It was a Metcalf...block.
The hulking, star wide receiver turned, pushed and — maybe, especially the Browns feel, grabbed — Browns cornerback Martin Emerson by the tops of his shoulder pads. The block set Smith-Njigba outside of Metcalf, Emerson and every other player on the field for the rookie’s 9-yard touchdown catch and run with 38 seconds remaining in the game.
Seahawks 24, Browns 20 — and Metcalf one winning block to go with five catches on 14 targets for 67 yards.
“Yes, sir. Me and Jaxon talked about it during training camp on how he wanted me to block. And I just tried to execute to the best of my ability,” Metcalf told The News Tribune at his locker over the bass boomin’ again following Seattle’s fifth win in six games.
Metcalf noticed the Browns’ nickel defensive back in the slot setting up to blitz before the winning play. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron gave Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith a run-pass option. Smith-Njigba and quarterback Geno Smith noticed that blitz, too.
That unspoken read is what changed the play to a Smith-Njigba hitch route, in essence a bubble screen. That, in turn, called for Metcalf to block instead of catch a pass.
“I saw the safety (Cleveland’s Juan Thornhill) drop down to cover Jaxon, and Jaxon had the leverage (outside),” Metcalf said. “So I knew he was going to beat him, just by his leverage.
“I was just going to block the corner. He was the only man who could have tackled him.”
Smith-Njigba wanted to share the score with Metcalf, credit-wise.
“It’s his touchdown just as much as it’s mine,” Smith-Njigba said. “We have to click on all cylinders to be the best and we know that. And he preaches that. He not only preaches that, he goes out there and does it. It’s great to see that.
“I got him, just like he’s got me, and the rest of the team. Just a great overall drive and win for the offense.”
Metcalf leads all NFL wide receiver in penalties again this season, for the third consecutive year. That is why Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was surprised officials didn’t flag the 6-foot-4, 235-pound wide receiver for holding on the winning touchdown.
“Yeah,” Carroll said, with a small grin. “Yeah. Yeah.
“A fantastic block by DK. Clean. The guy (the official outside) was looking right at him. That’s the call they make sometimes.
“I thought he did it perfectly.”
Metcalf was asked if for all the attention he gets for everything but, a block to win a game was particularly satisfying.
“It’s not even satisfying, because I don’t look for any gratification or anything from anybody else outside of the building,” he said. “My teammates were happy and the coaches were happy with how I blocked and I played.
“And that’s all that matters.”
Riq Woolen’s big play, then big call
Riq Woolen had his first interception of the season, diving to snare a low, errant throw by Walker in the red zone early in the second quarter. That kept Seattle ahead 17-7 early in the second quarter.
“Honestly, it felt good man. Sometimes you barely get opportunities, and this year I feel like I’ve barely been getting opportunities,” he said. “Sometimes they throw my way once or twice a game.
“Shoot, tips and overthrows, got to get those.”
Woolen had been targeted 22 times in five games entering Sunday, according to Pro Football Reference.
The Seahawks’ Pro Bowl cornerback and his team thought Woolen had a second turnover play in the quarter. He knocked away a pass to Cleveland’s Amari Cooper on a fourth and 3. But officials penalized Woolen for pass interference, for grabbing at and contacting Cooper before the ball arrived. It wasn’t egregious, but in this league that wants passing and points, that’s a penalty.
The Browns took that gift first down, got a P.J. Walker completion to Cooper to the 2-yard line underneath Seattle’s deeper coverage, then got Kareem Hunt’s 1-yard touchdown run. That cut Seattle’s lead to 17-14.
Woolen also had a hands-to-the-face penalty off the line on a third-and-3 incomplete pass late in the game. It extended Cleveland’s drive — until Julian Love’s interception off teammate Jamal Adams’ helmet gave Smith, Smith-Njigba and Metcalf the chance for their winning play.
“When you’re out there playing physical, and you’re out there being yourself and playing your game, certain stuff like that happens,” Woolen said of the second penalty. “I thought it was a clean play, but they see different things from up top, and whatever the refs see, but that’s a play I would like to have back.
“At the same time, we still went and got an interception with J. Love, so it was an even greater moment.”
Jake Bobo, everything
Undrafted rookie wide receiver Jake Bobo has become far more than a fun locker-room rallying cry for Seahawks teammates and Seattle fan favorite.
He’s now in every aspect of the team’s game plan, pass, run — and on special teams playing on the punt and kickoff teams.
Last week he was the lead blocker out of motion across the formation on the goal line. Running back Kenneth Walker followed Bobo into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown run.
Sunday, Bobo was again in motion across the formation near the goal line. This time Smith handed him the ball. Usually, wide receivers take those outside for fly sweeps. The 6-foot-4 Bobo planted his foot and decisively turned his shoulder up the field. He dived about the 3 yards to the goal for Seattle’s 7-0 lead.
“We kind of thought if we hand it to him he’s going to figure out how to get in there. He did,” Carroll said “Wasn’t perfect, but it was clean enough to get a score.”
It was Bobo’s first career rushing touchdown — at any level of football, he said after the game.
“I don’t think I’ve ever, in my life, run for a touchdown,” Bobo said, laughing.
In the preseason, it was about making plays to make the team. Once he got on it, he said he was about finding ways to help the team, any ways.
Eight weeks into his rookie season, he’s finding those ways — though he was upset at missing a crash-down block on a run later in the game.
“The cool part is, it kind of changes every week,” Bobo said of his role. “This week, it was running.”
Bobo said offensive coordinator Shane Waldron put Bobo’s TD run play in the game plan this past week, for the first time.
Jason Peters plays
The former Eagles All-Pro and Super Bowl-champion left tackle made his debut for the Seahawks, seven weeks after he signed to Seattle’s practice squad.
The 41-year-old veteran of 20 NFL seasons played two series at right tackle in the second quarter and two series in the fourth quarter. Stone Forsythe started there.
“That’s just another boost for us to have an experienced player like that available to us,” Carroll said of Peters. “So I don’t know what that means going forward, anyway, but I was really fired up for him.
“He played in an NFL football game in his 20th season. Man, that’s a remarkable accomplishment. So remarkable. Somebody has to go find George Blanda’s record it goes back so far.”
Tellingly, Peters was the right tackle for the final drive on which the Seahawks had to score to win.
“That guy, The Ageless Wonder,” Smith said. “I can’t believe it’s his 20th season.
“He actually probably played against Seattle with the (original) throwback jerseys.”
This story was originally published October 29, 2023 at 7:58 PM.
