Metcalf on Seahawks' late-season struggles: Teams figured us out

The Seattle Seahawks had two different seasons in 2020.

After topping 30 points in all but one of their first eight games, the Seahawks scored 30-plus just once during the campaign's second half. The setback hurt Seattle in the playoffs, as the team scored only 20 points during their wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf - who made his first career Pro Bowl this season and earned a second-team All-Pro nod - recently explained why he thinks Seattle couldn't avoid its offensive struggles.

"Teams just started to figure us out," Metcalf said on Brandon Marshall's "I am Athlete" podcast. "We've been running deep the past - ever since (head coach) Pete (Carroll) got there. It's play-action, run the ball, run the ball, run the ball, go deep. Teams just said we're not gonna let you go deep."

The Seahawks ranked third in the league with 481 rushing attempts in 2019 but finished 18th in the category in 2020, leading quarterback Russell Wilson to throw a career-high 558 pass attempts in the regular season.

However, Wilson averaged 37.1 pass attempts through the first eight games, but that number dropped to fewer than 32 in the slate's second half, including the playoffs.

Metcalf's comments add pressure to the Seahawks' search for a new offensive coordinator. Seattle dismissed Brian Schottenheimer after three seasons with the team just days following the loss to the Rams, citing "philosophical differences."

Former New York Jets head coach Adam Gase and Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Mike Kafka are reportedly candidates for Seattle's vacant offensive coordinator position.