Seahawks studs and duds: DK Metcalf performance not enough in Wild Card Round
By Randy Gurzi
Stud: Geno Smith, QB
The Seahawks came in as the underdogs and while they wound up losing, there’s no way the blame should fall on the shoulders of Geno Smith. Seattle’s starting quarterback had the best season of his career completing nearly 70 percent of his attempts for 4,282 yards with 30 touchdowns and just 11 picks.
Smith continued to play well in this one and even led his team to a lead before the half after hitting DK Metcalf on a 50-yard touchdown and setting up a 56-yard field goal as the half expired. In the end, he was unable to overcome several second-half flags from his offensive linemen and the pressure from the opposing defensive linemen.
In the second half, Smith had two turnovers but he was forced to play outside of his comfort zone due to the deficit. He still had 253 yards and two touchdowns as well as 28 yards on the ground. He’s now a free agent and it will be interesting to see what happens with his contract situation.
Seattle was already considering the franchise tag and that could be more likely after he played well in the postseason.
Dud: Damien Lewis, Guard
Not only was Smith getting pressure up the middle for the entire game but Damien Lewis also found himself flagged twice for being an ineligible man downfield. He wasn’t alone in this as it happened several times, but his name was called more than once which is less than ideal.