Seattle Seahawks receiver D.K. Metcalf had a quiet game on offense in Sunday's 37-34 OT thriller loss to the Arizona Cardinals—two catches for 23 yards thanks to Patrick Peterson—but he still managed to make the play of the game and possibly the season.
Facing a first-and-goal on the four-yard line, quarterback Russell Wilson lofted a pass to Chris Carson, only for Budda Baker to snag it and take off into what seemed to be an open lane 100 yards to the opposite end zone. But Metcalf, all 6-foot-4 and 229 pounds of him, chased down Baker and stopped the touchdown. It was reminiscent of the time Ben Watson caught up with Champ Bailey in the 2005 season.
Metcalf churned past six dudes, including Wilson, to catch a defensive back six inches shorter than him who had a running start and a lead of several yards. Even on a field where every player is an S-Tier athlete capable of superhuman feats of strength and speed, Metcalf stands out as the most obviously impressive of the bunch. Nobody that big is supposed to move that fast, although the man does hold an NFL combine record for the fastest 40-yard dash of anyone over 225 pounds. As you'd expect, the stats on his chasedown are impressive.
Metcalf's heroic sprint was actually worth it, too, as the Seahawks staged a goal-line stand on the Cardinals' ensuing drive and forced a turnover on downs. Arizona eventually won in overtime after another Wilson interception, but Baker was still gracious in victory:
