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Brady HendersonESPN
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The Seattle Seahawks beat the Los Angeles Chargers 4-3 on Sunday to hold the No. 1 spot in the NFC West, but they lost DK Metcalf to a knee injury in the process.
Coach Pete Carroll said the X-ray was negative, but he was concerned that Metcalf might have to miss time depending on the results of the MRI he will have when the Seahawks return to Seattle.
Metcalf was injured late in the first quarter of the Seahawks’ 37-23 win at Sophie Stadium when he attempted a jump catch near the end zone and landed awkwardly on his left knee. He immediately went to the Seahawks’ sideline, was taken to the locker room, and was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game.
“What did he do to the knee,” Carroll said. “His knee didn’t feel right and it was funny when he landed. That’s all I know now. I’m glad the X-ray showed nothing. We’ve already had a test. We’ll have to wait until we get back for another test…”
Metcalf, who signed a three-year, $72 million extension this summer, entered Sunday with 30 receptions for 406 yards and two touchdowns. Before the injury, he received the ball once at 12 yards, was penalized for defensive pass interference, and was flagged as an offensive PI.
Safety Ryan Neal said Metcalf was in good spirits in the locker room at halftime, and the catcher told him, “I’m fine.”
“He’s smiling,” Neil said. “That’s a good sign for anyone.”
The Seahawks’ wide receiver team has already been battered, with Tyler Lockett’s hamstring injury keeping him out of practice all week and Penny Hart out of the game with his own hamstring injury. Carroll said Lockett had seven catches for 45 yards and a successful exit.
Veteran Marquise Goodwin had his best game of the season, with four catches for 67 yards and two touchdowns. The 32-year-old racer signed a minimum-salary deal with the Seahawks in May, missed training camp with a hamstring injury, and started out as Seattle’s third wide receiver.
“He had a couple of great touchdowns today and a nice catch last week,” Carroll said. “So, if it takes DK a little time to come back, he’ll jump into a role that we’re really confident in using him. He had a great time today. It’s exciting to see him helping us so much.”
Carroll didn’t have any updates on right back Phil Haynes or special teams ace Nick Bellor, who both left the game with concussions. Carroll applauded that Haynes was removed from the game by on-court injury observers.
Chargers cornerback JC Jackson went down in the first half with a serious knee injury, like Metcalf, not the result of contact with another player. Neal cited both injuries while blaming SoFi Stadium’s artificial surfaces.
“We can have a conversation about lawns and grass,” he said. “It’s a whole other conversation, but you hate to see anything like this any time. Not even because people hit people. It’s the damn surface. So it sucks that this happened, but DK’s spirits are good. He smiles his face, so I think we’ll be fine.”