Seahawks need to get DK Metcalf his touches at the right time
DK Metcalf can do more for the Seahawks in enemy territory
We can all agree that the Hawks could send the ball his way more often. There’s another issue that hasn’t been discussed nearly as often. It isn’t just how often the Seahawks throw the ball to Metcalf, it’s when they do. Take a look at these splits, as provided by Pro Football Reference.
He was targeted 129 times and made 75 catches. When the Hawks had the ball on their side of the 50, Metcalf was targeted 78 times. That’s great, right? You want to stretch the field, soften the defense, and let the big man run.
What isn’t great is that when Seattle was on their opponent’s side of the field, they only threw Metcalf’s way 51 times. I’m pretty sure that even if you’re at the other guys’ 45-yard line, you can still target the receiver with word-class speed. To the Seahawks credit, they did manage to find him when they were in the red zone.
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Once in the red zone, Metcalf saw 19 targets and made 12 catches, nine of them for touchdowns. Surprisingly, the incredibly reliable Tyler Lockett only got seven targets in the red zone. It’s also worth noting that Metcalf’s red zone performance has improved tremendously. He only caught 5 of 17 red zone targets as a rookie. He improved to 8 of 16 in 2020 and made the big leap last season. It’s encouraging to see that Seattle trusts Metcalf to make the necessary play, not just the big play. Let’s hope we see even more of that in 2022.