Russell Wilson helps DK Metcalf redeem himself for botched touchdown with Seahawks’ game-winner

Russell Wilson and DK Metcalf vacationed in Mexico together this offseason, where the star quarterback taught the young wide receiver how to swim. They spent more time together working out and studying in Southern California, and they have grown so close that Wilson considers Metcalf like a little brother to him.

As any good big brother knows, little brothers need to be taught a lesson every now and then. And Metcalf had an obvious lesson coming his way early in the game Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.

“I told him to never do it again,” Wilson said of Metcalf’s galling first-quarter fumble that cost the Seahawks a touchdown.

Wilson, as he so often does, had thrown a perfect deep pass that hit Metcalf in stride — the ball traveled 62.9 yards, according to Next Gen Stats, the longest completion by air distance in the NFL since 2018.

But as Metcalf approached the end zone, he slowed down and began a premature celebration. Dallas rookie cornerback Trevon Diggs caught up from behind at the 1-yard line, knocking the ball out of Metcalf’s hands and out of the end zone. By rule, that is a fumble and a touchback, giving Dallas possession at its 20.

On the sideline, Wilson told Metcalf to be ready — the ball would come his way again. And it did in the game’s biggest moment, with Wilson finding Metcalf for the game-winning 29-yard touchdown with 1:47 remaining to give the Seahawks another dramatic victory, 38-31.

That touchdown throw was the fifth of the game for Wilson, and the ball traveled 42.3 yards in the air, according to Next Gen Stats. That makes it the seventh “deep” touchdown reception of Metcalf’s career, the most of anyone in the NFL since the start of the 2019 season.

Much has been written about the Seahawks’ opening up the playbook for Wilson in the passing game early on this season. And, yes, Wilson is in the prime of his career, at the peak of his powers, and seems to make plays very few quarterbacks would even dream of trying. But not to be overlooked in that transformation is the fact that Wilson has two premier receivers to work with in Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.

Getting the ball in the hands of your best players is always smart football, and Wilson is getting it to those two receivers often. Lockett had one of the best games of his career Sunday, with nine catches for 100 yards and three touchdowns.

And a week after winning a physical duel with New England’s Stephon Gilmore, the best cornerback in the NFL, Metcalf continued to show why he’s one of the toughest matchups in the league. He finished with four catches (on eight targets) for 110 yards and the game-winning score Sunday.

“I really respect guys who come in with the right mindset … and a guy like (Metcalf who) has all the talent in the world, he could take it easy, he could do this, do that,” Wilson said. “And he is one of the first guys there every day; he’s one of the guys that’s always ready to work, he’s always ready to get extra reps. …

“What we really connected on more than anything else was life, you know. What’s really important to him, the same things are really important to me — faith and family. I just think that he loves the game, he wants to be great and when somebody wants to be great, it’s not just about wanting to, it’s about doing the actions. It’s about everything that you do about it and it’s a lifestyle that you have to live, and I think that he really wants to do it. He’s great at what he does; he’s so young, he’s only 22, so it’s kind of crazy to think about. So we’re going to have a lot of fun together — many years to come.

“We haven’t done anything yet. We’re just getting started.”