3 observations about DK Metcalf from Seahawks victory in Week 17

In some ways, DK Metcalf is having his best season for the Seahawks

I will change my tone a bit here. Metcalf does need to be more consistent overall and he needs to be better against high-level competition, but he also has allowed himself to be adapted into a slightly different role within the offense. Before 2021, Metcalf didn’t go over the middle as much and was more of a deep threat because that is the way Seattle’s offense was designed. While some of the raw statistics were great for Metcalf, some of the more important ones were not.

For instance, Metcalf caught 58 percent of his targets in 2019 and 58.1 percent in 2021. In 2019 and 2020, Metcalf had a yards-per-catch of at least 15.5. This year, however, Metcalf is averaging just 11.6 yards a reception but his catch rate is a career-best 65.4 percent and he has 87 catches, also a career-best.

My guess is that 2023 will be Metcalf’s best season ever. He always had the raw ability to create explosive plays but this year he has learned how to apply himself more to the scheme of the offense. 2023 could be the year that Metcalf melds the two theories together and has even more catches but more explosive plays.

To be sure, though, Metcalf has proven himself over the seasons to be a very good receiver and one who is still only 25 years old. Metcalf should be among the best receivers in the league for lots of years to come. And he will do that as a member of the Seahawks and that is a great thing.