DK Metcalf: Coordinators 'Pick Who They Want to Get Defeated By' Game Planning for Seahawks

RENTON, WA - Thanks to a scintillating start, DK Metcalf has vaulted himself into the discussion as one of the NFL's elite receivers in just his second season, dominating opponents from the outside as well as the slot for the Seahawks high-powered, No. 1 ranked scoring machine.

After producing 900 receiving yards as a rookie, Metcalf already has nearly reached that mark in half the games catching passes from MVP front-runner Russell Wilson. With 680 receiving yards and seven touchdowns thus far, he's on pace to obliterate Steve Largent and Doug Baldwin's single-season franchise records in each of those categories.

Interestingly, despite posting more than 92 receiving yards in all but one of Seattle's seven games, opponents continue to play single coverage against the 6-foot-4, 230-pound wideout. Per Pro Football Focus, he has feasted on those opportunities, racking up a league-high 521 yards in such situations.

Given how dominant Metcalf has been to this point, even a casual fan would have to question why teams aren't throwing more double coverage at him. But when it comes to trying to slow down this Seahawks passing game, opposing coordinators don't have the luxury to send extra help to defend him because of the presence of Tyler Lockett and David Moore.

"You know they really have to pick their poison," Metcalf said about the difficulties opponents face designing a game plan for Seattle's receivers each week. "Because if they're going to try to take me away, Tyler [Lockett] can pop off for 200 yards or D-Mo [Moore] can pop off for 100 yards. It really just comes down to picking your poison and deciding who you want to get defeated by that game."

Indeed, coordinators can't be getting much sleep when the Seahawks are on the schedule for the following week. Along with Metcalf surpassing 100 receiving yards three times already this year, Lockett produced a historic 15-catch, 200-yard outing against the Cardinals in Week 7 and has three games with 92 or more yards.

On the season, like Metcalf, Lockett is also on pace to break Largent's record of 1,287 receiving yards dating back to 1985 and Baldwin's record of 14 receiving touchdowns established in 2015. That was Lockett's rookie year, when he recorded 664 receiving yards and six touchdowns as a third-round pick out of Kansas State.

While other teams having outstanding receiver duos, Metcalf and Lockett find themselves in rarified air during a spectacular season. Already the first pair of receivers on the same team in NFL history to produce 550 receiving yards and seven touchdowns through the first seven games, both players are on pace for over 1,300 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns, a combination that has only been achieved in a season by 10 receivers all-time.

As if containing those two stars wasn't challenging enough, Moore has broken out in his fourth season with Seattle, surfacing as one of the league's best complementary No. 3 receivers. Showing much improved reliability and consistency with an 80 percent catch rate, he's on pace for 36 receptions for 560 yards and seven touchdowns, which would all be new career-highs.

Considering all three of those players were on the roster this time a year ago, what's been the biggest difference fast forwarding to now? From offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's perspective, positional flexibility has really enhanced the passing game, particularly when it comes to Metcalf.

"We can do so much more stuff with DK now," Schottenheimer said on Thursday. "Year two, more comfortable in the offense, more comfortable running all the different routes we do, I think that's what makes it hard on the opponent. It's not the fact that the two guys are out there - there's other teams that have really good tandems of receivers - but I think it's that we can move them around and put them in different spots. They're almost interchangeable in a lot of ways, but we feel very blessed to have those two guys."

Schottenheimer also made sure not to forget about Moore or a tight end group featuring Greg Olsen, Will Dissly, and Jacob Hollister. While Metcalf and Lockett understandably are drawing the headlines with their eye-popping stats, the abundance of weapons around them coupled with the ability to move either player around the formation has made it impossible for teams to even consider doubling one or the other.

During his rookie season, Metcalf primarily played out outside, though he did catch a touchdown from the slot in a Week 2 win over the Steelers. As the season progressed, Schottenheimer became more comfortable moving him around, particularly in the playoffs.

“He’s a tremendously smart football player. He really is," Schottenheimer commented. "He picks things up well. He makes adjustments quick on game day. He's to the point now where he's communicating things to the coaches to tell me about the way guys are playing him... That's unusual for a young player, so it started last year, but it's grown exponentially with his understanding of the game and his knowledge of the game of football."

When pressed about how much Lockett and Metcalf impact game planning each week given the lack of defensive flexibility for opponents, Schottenheimer went a step further, crediting a much-improved offensive line for allowing Wilson the opportunity to make plays downfield to his two star receivers.

Currently, the Seahawks offensive line is ranked seventh in pass blocking efficiency by Pro Football Focus and fifth in ESPN's Pass Block Win Rate metric. Despite breaking in three new starters, including right tackle Brandon Shell, right guard Damien Lewis, and center Ethan Pocic, the unit has excelled since Week 1, playing a pivotal role in the team's incredible offensive success.

"I want to give some love to the offensive line. I mean, those five guys up front are doing a tremendous job," Schottenheimer commented. "The pass protection has been excellent, the stuff in the run game. For those five guys that are really a lot of new pieces... they're the ones really allowing all this stuff to happen, they're the ones that are helping produce those big numbers and so I couldn't be more pleased about the way those guys are performing up front."

With the line excelling at protecting Wilson and secondary skill players such as Moore and rookie Freddie Swain making plays when called upon, opposing coaches truly do have to pick their poison when it comes to scheming for Metcalf and Lockett. While you may be able to take away one of them any given game day, no opponent has been able to take away both this season.

The scary thing? Being just 22 years old, Metcalf hasn't come close to reaching his ceiling, however high that may be. Assuming both he and Lockett stay healthy and Schottenheimer keeps the kitchen open for Wilson to cook, the trio should continuing terrorizing defenses at will for the rest of the season.

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