Heaps: How Seahawks’ offense gets DK Metcalf the mismatch they want

Star Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf is on his way to another strong year in his third NFL season, and the scary thing is, he just may be getting started in Seattle’s new offense under first-year offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.

Rost: The two big questions Seahawks face vs. Rams on Thursday night

Metcalf heads into Thursday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Rams ranking 18th in the NFL in receiving yards (285) and tied for ninth in touchdown catches (three), though other than a 107-yard performance in a Week 3 loss to Minnesota, he’s been between 53 and 65 yards receiving in Seattle’s three other games thus far.

Another breakout game may coming based on how Waldron’s offense deployed Metcalf on his one touchdown catch in the Seahawks’ Week 4 win over San Francisco last Sunday, however.

At a hulking 6 foot 4 and 235 pounds, Metcalf possesses a rare combination of overpowering strength and blistering speed. If Seattle can get him opportunities against who they want to cover him rather than who its opponents want to cover him, Metcalf can be pretty much unstoppable. That’s exactly what transpired on his 12-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter against the 49ers, as 710 ESPN Seattle’s Jake Heaps explains in this week’s Seahawks Chalk Talk video.

As Heaps breaks down, the Seahawks employed a simple pre-snap shift to get Metcalf a one-on-one matchup against a San Francisco linebacker. And in a situation like that so close to the goal line, just getting Metcalf the ball with his momentum heading the right direction was enough to get Seattle in the end zone.

Watch the play here:

We've got a tie game! @dkm14 muscles his way to the end zone 😤

📺: #SEAvsSF on FOX pic.twitter.com/y2xrPapZ2M

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 3, 2021

Heaps goes through the entire play and what its success could mean for the Seahawks’ offense going forward in the video at the top of this post.

Catch the radio broadcast of the 2-2 Seahawks’ Week 5 game against the 3-1 Rams at 5:20 p.m. Thursday night on 710 ESPN Seattle and KIRO Radio 97.3 FM, with the pregame show kicking off the coverage at 2 p.m.

For more Seahawks video breakdowns from the 2021 season, click any of the links below.

Seahawks Chalk Talk and Football 101

• Wyman: Week 3 – What the Seahawks’ run defense is struggling against
• Heaps: Week 2 – Why Tyler Lockett keeps getting better
• Wyman: Week 2 – How Hawks adjusted midgame to Titans’ passing attack
• Heaps: Week 1 – Russell Wilson’s TDs to three different receivers
• Wyman: Week 1 – Why Lockett’s 69-yard TD catch was so impressive

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