Seahawks co-MVPs for week one: DK Metcalf and Quinton Jefferson

The Seahawks had a very tough game, but DK Metcalf was a star to no one’s surprise. The shocker was how Quinton Jefferson balled out.

The Seahawks didn’t exactly play up to expectations today. They were 9 1/2 point favorites, and virtually every prognosticator said the Hawks would win easily. Even our friends at Stripe Hype, FanSided’s Bengals site, expected Seattle to win. Clearly, the expectations were wrong, and that goes double for mine. But 12s did spy a couple of silver linings in today’s nail-biter in the play of rookie DK Metcalf and defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson.

The Seahawks targeted star receiver Tyler Lockett just twice, but they made the first one count. Turned out that was okay, as Metcalf caught practically everything else. He showed he was worth all the hype after the combine. It’s a bit premature for Hall of Fame talk, but premature hype is a fan’s job, right? Today’s game was more than good enough for a HOF beginning.

Before I move on to Metcalf’s plays, l have to sing the praises of Quinton Jefferson. He was the forgotten man among the front seven with all the hype surrounding Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney deserves the hype and played well today. But it was Jefferson who made the most of his chance with Ziggy Ansah inactive today. If you were going to name the Seahawk with two sacks, two tackles for a loss, two pass defenses and six total tackles, I bet it wouldn’t have been Jefferson. Coming into today’s game, he had four sacks in his career. Can we call him the QuinJet, please?

Back to Metcalf. He started the day on a simple slant for six yards. His next catch was a dart over the middle for 16 yards that took the ball deep into Bengals territory. His third catch was worthy of the highlight reel. I know you want to see this 42-yard bomb. At 12thManRising, we’re nothing if not gracious hosts.

Metcalf closed out his day with a 25-yard strike from Wilson that set up the 44-yard touchdown to Tyler Lockett. The rookie was targeted six times and made it clear he wasn’t afraid to catch the ball in heavy traffic. And why would he be? He outweighs most cornerbacks by 30 pounds, and it’s 99 percent muscle. Or maybe it’s adamantium after all.

It wasn’t the kind of game anyone expected from the Seahawks, but it’s still a checkmark in the win column. Seattle has a lot to work on, especially in the secondary. Andy Dalton should send a certain safety half of his game check. But my co-MVPs Metcalf and Jefferson played lights out.