Seahawks' DK Metcalf Won't Need Surgery on Knee Injury, Has Patellar Tendon Issue

DK Metcalf appears to have avoided the worst-case scenario after injuring his knee during Sunday's win over the Los Angeles Chargers and won't require surgery, head coach Pete Carroll told reporters on Monday:

Metcalf was carted to the locker room on Sunday after landing awkwardly while attempting to make a catch.

It's fantastic news for the 4-3 Seahawks, one of the surprise teams in the NFL this season.

Metcalf, 24, is one of the team's most important playmakers and has caught 31 passes for 428 yards and two scores on the season. He exceeded 900 receiving yards in each of his first three NFL seasons and came into the year with 29 career receiving touchdowns.

The Seahawks were already somewhat thin at wide receiver, with veteran wideout Tyler Lockett playing through a hamstring injury on Sunday and Penny Hart unable to play with a hamstring issue of his own. It would have made a long-term injury for Metcalf more difficult to overcome.

But the Seahawks received good news on Sunday, when X-rays on the injury came back negative. Further tests on Monday confirmed that Metcalf had avoided major injury.

"I was just with him in the training room, and he’s really positive about it," Carroll said on the Brock & Salk Show. "I don't know what that means in terms of coming back and how soon and all of that, but his attitude is exactly where you would want it to be."

The Seahawks have three games on the schedule before a Week 11 bye, all of them tricky matchups: the 6-1 New York Giants at home on Sunday, the 3-4 Arizona Cardinals on the road in Week 9 and the 3-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home in Week 10.

It remains to be seen if Metcalf will be available for any of those games. If there's any doubt about whether he's ready to return, it wouldn't be shocking to see the Seahawks take the conservative approach and keep him out through the bye week, though it will depend on the state of his recovery.