The latest on Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf’s injury

Seattle Seahawks star wide receiver DK Metcalf suffered a Grade 1 sprained MCL in Sunday’s win over Atlanta and is week to week, according to a social media post by ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter.

How Seahawks’ sixth-round RT Jerrell impressed Macdonald, Geno

While speaking with reporters on Monday afternoon, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald confirmed Metcalf sprained his MCL. Macdonald didn’t rule out the possibility of Metcalf playing in Seattle’s Week 8 home game next Sunday against Buffalo.

“Timeline, not sure,” Macdonald said. “It doesn’t look like it’s a long-term injury. And you guys know DK. We know DK. He’s gonna probably do anything humanly possible to be able to play in this game, I would imagine. And we’ll assess it as the week kind of unfolds here.”

Metcalf injured his knee late in the third quarter when he attempted to make a leaping sideline catch on a third-down pass from Geno Smith. Metcalf made the grab, but fell down awkwardly and landed out of bounds after being hit in the air by Falcons cornerback Justin Simmons.

Metcalf initially remained on the sidelines and was listed as questionable to return. He later exited the field on a cart midway through the fourth quarter.

Metcalf had four catches for 99 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, all of which came in the first half. His touchdown came on a 31-yard strike from Smith with 4 seconds left in the half, which gave the Seahawks a 17-7 lead at the break. Earlier in the second quarter, Metcalf also made a spectacular leaping catch in traffic on a trick-play double pass from fellow wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Metcalf is the NFL’s second-leading receiver in yardage this season. The sixth-year veteran has 35 catches for 568 yards and three TDs, which puts him on pace to surpass his career-high 1,303 receiving yards in 2020. With a trio of big performances between Weeks 2 and 4 earlier this year, Metcalf became the first player in franchise history to record three consecutive 100-yard receiving games.

That’s how to end the half!! pic.twitter.com/cTY1zH3tQO

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 20, 2024

Metcalf is the headliner of an elite Seahawks receiving trio, alongside 10th-year veteran Tyler Lockett and 2023 first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Lockett has 30 catches for 384 yards and one TD this season, while Smith-Njigba has 37 catches for 319 yards and one TD.

If Metcalf is sidelined, Seattle’s next options at wide receiver are second-year pro Jake Bobo and versatile fifth-year pro Laviska Shenault Jr. Bobo has eight catches for 66 yards this year. Shenault four catches for 26 yards, along with a kickoff return score.

The Seahawks also could lean more on their tight ends and running backs in the passing attack. At tight end, Noah Fant has 24 catches for 263 and rookie fourth-round pick AJ Barner has eight catches for 71 yards and a TD. And at running back, Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet have a combined 43 catches for 304 yards and two scores.

“We have a huge amount of confidence in our guys,” Macdonald said. “We’ve got a deep crew. Like, Jake stepped in yesterday after DK went down. And then the way that we built, all three (receivers) can kind of play all three spots where you can mix and match. … And then you can go to two-tight end packages. There’s things you could do with Ken or two tailbacks.

“There’s lots of options at our disposal that are in the system. So if didn’t have him, you’re never gonna fill the shoes of a DK Metcalf, but you can kind of work around it in certain ways.”

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• Seahawks’ Ken Walker III celebrates birthday with epic ‘flu game’
• ‘No flinch’: Seahawks’ patchwork secondary steps up in win
• Takeaways finally ‘come to life’ for Seattle Seahawks’ defense
• Macdonald: Seattle Seahawks CB made ‘shocking effort’ on touchdown
• Observations: Seattle Seahawks beat Falcons 34-14 on the road

Related

Bump’s hope about Nick Emmanwori going on Seahawks PUP listNick Emmanwori among 3 Seahawks added to PUP listReport reveals potential factor in Seahawks selling to Khosla groupBreaking down the Seahawks’ defensive position battlesCamp Preview: Sizing up Seahawks’ offensive position battlesSeahawks place rookie D-lineman on PUP list