Despite playing one extra game in 2021, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf saw the same number of targets (129) as his breakout 2020 campaign, but the results were far from as impressive. The then-third-year wideout saw his average fall to a career-low 12.9 yards per reception, and he averaged only 13.3 in point-per-reception scoring vs. 17.1 in ’20.
Metcalf’s substantial drop-off in yardage (1,303 vs. 967) overshadowed two more touchdowns over eight fewer grabs. Three of those dozen scores came in Week 17 against the Detroit Lions, which provided a 30.9-point performance to gamers who appeared in their league championship in spite of his down year.
Wide receiver running mate Tyler Lockett saw his career-high 100 receptions in 2020 dip to 73 a year ago, but his yards-per-catch average shot up to 16.1 from a mere 10.5, so what went wrong with Metcalf? In part, he faced extra defensive scrutiny, but that wasn’t the complete picture.
