Bumpus: How DK Metcalf had big game for Seahawks in Dallas

Dec 2, 2023, 3:34 PM

DK Metcalf of the Seattle Seahawks catches a touchdown on Nov. 30, 2023. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)

(Michael Owens/Getty Images)

Seattle Sports

The Seattle Seahawks didn’t come away with a win on Thursday against the Dallas Cowboys, but there were a lot of positives to take away from the offense’s performance as that group scored 35 points.

Huard: Seattle Seahawks’ defense ‘on its heels’ and has ‘significant’ issues

Quarterback Geno Smith had his best game in weeks, throwing for 334 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for a score.

All three of Smith’s touchdowns went to the same guy – DK Metcalf.

2nd TD of the night for DK Metcalf 👏#SEAvsDAL on Prime Video
Also available on #NFLPlus https://t.co/YcXzMZb8jY pic.twitter.com/PEOgzVmrO8

— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2023

Metcalf made his presence known in a major way against top Dallas corner Daron Bland and the rest of the Cowboys secondary, catching six passes for 134 yards and the three scores. That was the fourth-most receiving yards Metcalf has had in a single game in his career, and it was the second time he’s caught three touchdowns in a game. This week was also Metcalf’s second 100-yard game of the year, and he doubled his season touchdown total to six.

So why was Metcalf able to put together the best game of the year against a Dallas defense that has been among the NFL’s best this year? Former NFL receiver Michael Bumpus broke it down during Friday’s Bump and Stacy on Seattle Sports.

“Big ups to DK because a lot of people have been critical of him, and I think some of the criticism is warranted. He’s dropped a lot of footballs this year, and you’ve been waiting on him to look like the $25 million man, and that’s what he looked like last night,” Bumpus said. “The reason why he was able to do this is because he took advantage of aggressive corner play, and he was precise in his route running. He looked healthy. There were some games where I’m looking at him run his routes and I go, ‘Man, he has no plan and he doesn’t look healthy. Something’s bothering him.’

“But last night, my man was on point. He was fast, he was sharp, he made the tough plays, he made the routine plays. Everything you needed to be done, DK got it done.”

To win in the NFL, Bumpus said, you have to be able to win one-on-one matchups. Smith and Metcalf did just that against Dallas.

“They took advantage of those matchups. You have to be able to win one-on-one matchups in the NFL. DK did that last night,” he said.

Later in the show, Bumpus dove further into Metcalf’s big game.

On his first touchdown, which was a 73-yard strike on Seattle’s first drive, Bumpus gave a lot of credit to Smith.

DK METCALF 73 YARDS ‼️#SEAvsDAL on Prime Video
Also available on #NFLPlus https://t.co/YcXzMZb8jY pic.twitter.com/kE4zLLDz5M

— NFL (@NFL) December 1, 2023

“He does just enough with his eyes, he moves the safety to his right and boom, he fires a dart,” he said. “Geno just won his individual matchup.”

Because the Cowboys play so aggressively on defense and play a lot of man-to-man coverage, Bumpus said the Seahawks were going to have opportunities in the passing game to make big plays.

Metcalf did just that.

“You have to be a route runner and make tough catches, and that’s exactly what DK did,” Bumpus said. ” … This was (his) first dominant performance (this year). He made a tough catch on the sideline, he made his way through some traffic on his third touchdown, he was a route runner with the slant on the second touchdown and then he showed the speed on his first one. He did everything a receiver needed to do to have success. Now, can he do it for four or five more weeks?”

Listen to the second hour of Friday’s Bump and Stacy at this link or in the player near the top of this story, and listen to the fourth hour of Friday’s show here.