Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf has put together a fantastic second season in the NFL. He finished the regular season with 83 catches for 1,303 yards and 10 touchdowns on 129 targets, earning his first career Pro Bowl selection.
Few teams did as good a job against the explosive wide receiver as the Rams did, however. In two games against Los Angeles, Metcalf caught just eight passes on 12 targets for 87 yards and no touchdowns. He was essentially a non-factor in both games, and there’s one main reason for that.
Jalen Ramsey.
Having a true shutdown corner like Ramsey makes life so much easier for the Rams when it comes to defending a guy like Metcalf. For most corners, Metcalf is either bigger, faster or stronger – or all of the above. It’s what makes him a matchup nightmare for opposing secondaries.
But Ramsey is a physical specimen himself, possessing a rare combination of length, speed and instincts at the cornerback position. That helped him all but eliminate Metcalf from the Seahawks’ game plan when matched up in man coverage against the receiver.
In two games, Ramsey allowed one catch for 11 yards against Metcalf on 53 coverage snaps. Metcalf was only targeted four times when Ramsey covered him one-on-one.
In 2 regular season matchups, Jalen Ramsey shadowed DK Metcalf on 53 of his 77 routes, holding him to 1 reception for 11 receiving yards (on 4 targets)
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) January 6, 2021
And when looking back at the play, Metcalf’s catch against Ramsey wasn’t exactly an impressive one. It was on third-and-10 with Ramsey playing off coverage, protecting the sticks. Metcalf broke inside on a drag route, with Ramsey trailing him in coverage and chasing him down to limit the gain to only 11 yards instead of 20-plus.
After Metcalf was locked down by Ramsey in the first meeting, catching only two passes for 28 yards in the game – neither of which came with Ramsey in coverage – the Seahawks got more creative in Round 2.
They moved Metcalf around more, sent him in motion a lot and did what they could to get him matched up against someone other than Ramsey. The Rams took notice of that strategy and on Tuesday, John Johnson said Ramsey wasn’t happy about Seattle hiding Metcalf from him.
“I don’t know exactly what they were trying to do, only thing I can tell you is I feel like they were just trying to hide him from Jalen,” Johnson told reporters. “That’s the best that I can say about it. But we adjusted to it. I think we still did a pretty solid job.
“I know one thing: No. 20 wasn’t too happy about it. He really looked forward to that matchup. He prepared for it. You don’t want to get him angry. So if that’s what they want to do, that’s what they want to do.”
Obviously, it hasn’t just been Metcalf that Ramsey has shadowed and erased. He’s done a remarkable job against opposing receivers all season long, ranging from DeAndre Hopkins to Mike Evans to Allen Robinson.
According to Pro Football Focus, Ramsey allowed just 20 yards per game in coverage.
In the single most prolific passing season in NFL history, Jalen Ramsey only allowed 20 yards per game in his coverage
— Mike Renner (@PFF_Mike) January 5, 2021
If the Seahawks want to hide Metcalf from Ramsey again on Saturday afternoon, they can do that. But it’s pretty clear that no matter what strategy they use, Metcalf has struggled to find success against the Rams.
It’s what makes this defense so good, and it starts with having a chess piece like Ramsey in the secondary.
[vertical-gallery id=643584]