DK Metcalf has not officially been ruled out for the Seattle Seahawks Week 8 matchup against the Buffalo Bills, but he is listed as doubtful. After entering the league in 2019 with a knock on him that he would be oft-injured, the receiver has only missed one game in his career. That was last season when some thought he might be being held out due to disciplinary reasons.
When Metcalf missed Week 7 of last year, Jake Bobo stepped in and took many of his reps. It turned out to be Bobo's most productive game as a pro. He had four catches on five targets for 61 yards and a ridiculously good touchdown catch when he got both feet down at the side of the end zone while being covered by two Arizona Cardinals.
It was the kind of play that proved Bobo deserved the roster spot he was given ahead of the final roster cuts last season. He was an undrafted rookie who was not a speed burner but had good hands and excellent body control. Seattle also learned that Bobo was a fantastic blocker, and even if he wasn't catching passes, he was going to help the team.
Jake Bobo might need to impress for the Seahawks in Week 8 if DK Metcalf misses the game
Bobo is the kind of player who will find a way to try to help his team be successful. He excels on special teams and has mostly made the most of his targets while being good at run-blocking. But in Week 8, his real value could be in the red zone. He is 6'4", and even though he isn't going to run a 4.4 40-yard dash, he can jump pretty well.
Oddly, Metcalf is the same height and has amazing athletic ability, but Seattle doesn't use him to post up in the end zone. Maybe Metcalf simply doesn't do well in that aspect. Bobo does. He might not catch five passes for 100 yards, but he might have three catches for 30 yards, including two touchdowns.
Bobo will need to reverse a downward trend, though. He has only caught two of his five targets over the last two games. In Week 7, he got one target and seemed to do a bit too much with his route. On a crossing pattern, quarterback Geno Smith thought Bobo might sit down on the route near the sideline, but Bobo kept moving. Smith threw the ball to where he thought Bobo would be. The pass was a bit behind Bobo and fell incomplete.
Hopefully, any lost trust between Smith and Bobo is quickly overcome. The receiver is going to be needed in Week 8 if DK Metcalf cannot play. Bobo had his best game last season when Metcalf was out, so let's hope Bobo can replicate that performance on Sunday if Metcalf misses the game.