RENTON – It didn't take long for DK Metcalf to think about his favorite catch from the final inning of Monday night's 20-17 win over the Eagles.
“Jaxon's,” Metcalf said, referring to Seattle rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba's 29-yard fingertip grab for a touchdown with 28 seconds left that gave the Seahawks their winning points in what was a win-or- otherwise” game was. ' game to keep playoff hopes alive. “I didn’t score a goal. Jaxon’s catch was the best of the trip.”
It was a good answer, one that illustrated Metcalf's growing habit of passing along accolades and attention to others.
But as coach Pete Carroll pointed out Wednesday, Smith-Njigba's catch never happened if Metcalf hadn't proven in the first nine games of this drive that he's worth every penny of his average annual salary of $24 million.
With the season on the line and Seattle having to go 92 yards in 1:52 to save it, it was Metcalf who did most of the work, carrying the Seahawks down the field on three balls for 58 yards.
“I don’t know if we’ve spoken about this clearly enough given everything that’s happened,” Carroll said. “What an incredible finish he had that game. He just rocked the house. … I just think he took over the game, that’s what it looked like, and I thought it was great to watch.”
Metcalf had just two catches for 21 yards before the final drive, although he also drew a 20-yard pass interference penalty that set up a Seattle field goal in the first half when the Seahawks trailed 10-0.
It's possible that a younger Metcalf would have been susceptible to him being a non-factor later on, but that wasn't the case Monday.
“Just play a full 60 minutes and don’t give up,” Metcalf said of his approach to the game. “Even on the last ride or the ride before, just keep playing.”
After Lock's first pass of the drive slipped out of Noah Fant's hands and came dangerously close to an interception, he got the drive started with a throw on a slant that Metcalf dived into and converted into an 18-yard gain .
Then, on a second-and-5 two plays later, Metcalf reached back with his left hand, fell backwards and collided with Eagles cornerback James Bradberry to secure a pass to the 37 for a 6-yard gain.
Three plays later came Metcalf's real, well, real money play – a diving catch between two defenders (Bradberry and Sydney Brown) for 34 yards to the Eagles' 29.
“Every play — the route he ran to get open, the low ball he catches, the other phenomenal grab he makes in traffic, hanging on to a football that no one thought he could could catch,” enthused Carroll on Wednesday.
What happened next, however, seemed to impress Carroll almost as much, as Metcalf had the presence of mind to quickly stand up and throw the ball into the middle of the field, where it was put in play by a referee.
“If you noticed, he was really focused,” Carroll said. “He also sped up the timing of the sequence. “He had the ball in his hands for almost 60 yards of that drive, but he had to keep the rhythm, get the ball back to the referee and do the disciplined things.”
That didn't necessarily matter since Metcalf was out of bounds and the clock stopped.
But Metcalf took no chances, which meant as much to Carroll as any second that could have been saved had the clock run out.
“He did everything flawlessly,” Carroll said.
And for all the attention Metcalf has received for a few moments this year when he lost his temper – one last week when he flew off the field late in a loss to the 49ers – this game showed that he was, when Seattle's season depended most on being as clear in mind as the team needed him.
Recalling that scene Wednesday, Metcalf said he never forgot a moment of tough love he felt just a few weeks into his rookie year.
Seahawks coaches, like certainly everyone in the NFL, emphasize to players the importance of saving time in late game situations and getting the ball to the officials as quickly as possible.
One day, Metcalf didn't — he threw the ball instead of running it — and received a dig from Carroll and then-offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, who also ordered the two-minute drill to start over for his mistake.
“I got in trouble my freshman year for not doing that,” Metcalf said. “That still haunts me to this day, and I try not to be the guy who screws it up. “That’s the origin of all this.”
But what happened before the play also illustrated Metcalf's increasing ability to master the moment at its most chaotic.
Metcalf said the play required him to execute a curl pattern. But at the line of scrimmage, Lock signaled a go route instead.
“Hats off to Drew for the last catch I had,” Metcalf said. “First I had a curl route, and then he looked out, gave me a signal and changed my route. “Kudos to him for seeing that, putting the ball up and just giving me the opportunity to make a play.”
However, Lock returned all his praise to Metcalf after the game. Early in the game, Lock missed a throw to Metcalf in the red zone.
“I went to him [and said]”'My mistake, man.”'” Lock remembered. “He says, 'Stop apologizing to me, just go out and play.' OK all clear. You're right. I'm going to go out there, we're just going to play ball and throw this thing around. Sure enough. I appreciate that he kept his composure throughout the night. Being himself, he wants to have the ball in every game. If you don't get it, keep your cool, stay calm and know that maybe next game he'll get it. “I appreciate that from him tonight.”
The winning TD came from a formation that saw Lock throw to Metcalf early in the game. But this time, the Eagles chose to cover Smith-Njigba one-on-one on the right sideline while Metcalf lined up on the left, got double coverage and was happy to share in the glory as he watched the play unfold.
“As I was leaving the huddle, I heard Drew say to Jaxon, 'Hey, if it's one-on-one, I'll come to you,'” Metcalf said. “And as I'm pointing over, I'm thinking, 'I'm praying it's one on one,' because I was tired. I didn't want to continue. I wanted Jaxon to score or someone to score so we could get back to the sideline. But when I saw the safety go down on his side and I saw Drew fire it over there, I thought, “Yeah, he's about to catch it.”
Bob Condotta: 206-515-5699 or [email protected]; on twitter: @bcondotta. Bob Condotta covers the Seahawks for the Seattle Times. He reports on the team daily throughout the year.