For Pete’s sake: Not all Seahawks were bad versus 49ers

DK Metcalf was the brightest star for the Seahawks

Okay, enough whining. The Hawks did have several of their own big plays, and none was bigger than the Geno to DK 50-yard strike that gave Seattle the lead in the second quarter. DK Metcalf was practically unstoppable in this game. Smith targeted him 13 times, and Metcalf hauled the ball in 10 times for 136 yards. Five of his other nine catches moved the chains for the Seahawks, and of course, he caught the Hawks final touchdown pass. Not a bad day; two scores and five first downs on 10 catches.

Another thing that impressed me is that DK kept his cool in this game. To me, there are no worse penalties than unsportsmanlike conduct or necessary roughness. Jimmie Ward’s late hit on Geno Smith put the Hawks in range for Myers’ last-second field goal in the first half. In the Jags wild comeback over the Bolts, Joey Bosa’s temper tantrum moved the ball to the one-yard line after a Jaguars touchdown. Jacksonville went for two and set themselves up to win the game with their late field goal, rather than tie the game.

Yes, DK got a little hot on the late hit to his QB, and he should have. What he didn’t do was get into a shoving match and get flagged. He’s supposed to defend his guy, and he did. But he kept his head in the game, knowing that the refs are going to give him very little room before they reach into their pockets for their flag. To me, that maturity in his game speaks just as loudly as his fantastic physical ability.

The Seahawks season is over. Yes, it’s a little bitter to lose to the Niners at the end, but they are legitimately excellent. I’d much rather the Hawks lose to a good team than a team that just got lucky. Seattle – especially all the rookies – will build on the experience, and be that much better in the 2023 season.