SEATTLE — The Seattle Seahawks returned to their winning ways against a division rival.
Leading the entire game, the Seahawks beat the Arizona Cardinals 20-10 on Sunday afternoon to improve to 4-2 this season.
Here are three takeaways from the Seahawks home win.
DK misses first career game
Since DK Metcalf was selected in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, he has played in every possible game (71) for the Seahawks. He's started in 70 of these games.
Metcalf has fought through bumps and bruises to play on Sunday before, earning him a well-deserved status as an Iron Man in a league where injuries are commonplace.
But a combination of nagging hip and rib injuries forced Metcalf to miss his first-ever NFL game.
It's worth noting that Metcalf logged a "limited" practice on Friday after missing the first few sessions. Perhaps that could be some good news for his Week 8 status.
Rookies step up
In Metcalf's absence, Seattle relied on rookie wide receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jake Bobo to replace his role in the offense.
The rookies delivered on the opportunity, finishing as Geno Smith's top two receivers in the game.
Smith-Njigba set a career-high in receiving yards (63) and hauled in his first NFL touchdown in the first quarter.
Later in the first half, Bobo joined the party with one of the best touchdown grabs you'll see this year.
Smith-Njigba and Bobo combined for eight receptions and 124 yards, with two receiving touchdowns.
If Metcalf misses more time, the Seahawks know they have rookies they can trust to keep the offense functioning at a high level.
Leaving points on the board
Yes, the Seahawks won but they made it a closer game than it needed to be.
Early in the third quarter, the Seahawks had the ball at the Cardinals 1-yard line with at least three opportunities to score a touchdown.
Here was the ensuing sequence.
- Walker stuffed for no gain on 1st-and-goal
- Walker stuffed for a -1 yard loss on 2nd-and-goal
- Smith completes a pass to Colby Parkinson but is short of the end zone
- Seahawks settle for a 21-yard field goal on fourth down
That's four points left off the board.
On another possession, Smith was leading the Seahawks on a drive to add to its lead in the third quarter. Instead of throwing the ball away on third down in the red zone, Smith inadvertently tossed an easy interception to gift-wrap the Cardinals another chance to get back in the game.
That's at least three points, and possibly seven, left off the board.
Yes, the Seahawks won by double digits but it should have been a dominating victory instead of a game they weren't sure to win until late in the fourth quarter.
