In a near must-win situation, DK Metcalf torched a supposed elite Dallas Cowboys secondary to the tune of 6 catches for 134 yards and 3 touchdowns. DaRon Bland, a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year, was left helpless when matched up with the star receiver for the Seattle Seahawks.

Unfortunately, the Seahawks defense forced 0 punts and had a uniquely awful performance that meant that scoring 35 points against a team that hadn’t lost a home game in two years was not enough for a win. Seattle hadn’t lost a game when scoring at least 35 points since 2007, which was a meaningless 44-41 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. For a game with actual meaning, you’d have to go back to the ridiculous 43-39 Monday Night Football home loss to the Dallas Cowboys, one of the umpteen horrific defeats that 2004 Seahawks team suffered.

But Metcalf (and, for most of the game, Geno Smith) put in an unbelievable shift that is at the heart of today’s discussion. What are some of your great player performances in losing efforts?

Metcalf’s 6/134/3 was phenomenal and yet not even the best within that receiving corps. Tyler Lockett posted 15/200/3 against the Arizona Cardinals in 2020, but would you believe it, the defense got shredded and the Seahawks lost 37-34 in overtime. No team has lost more games since 2020 when scoring at least 30 points than the Seahawks, by the way.

Then there’s Russell Wilson’s epic playoff performance versus the Atlanta Falcons. Down 20-0, Wilson led nothing but scoring drives to give the Seahawks a 28-27 lead, and you know the rest from there. When you go 24/36 for 385 yards, plus another 60 on the ground, and account for three of the four touchdowns, you don’t deserve the L. Unfortunately, an L came for Rookie Russ and the 2012 Seahawks.

So as to not pick on games in which the defense gave up way too many points, Carlos Dunlap destroyed the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, recording three sacks on a night when Seattle was dealing with a significant COVID-19 outbreak. The offense sputtered and barely cleared 200 yards of offense in a 20-10 loss. And lastly, while this was not a loss, Bobby Wagner’s defense and special teams masterclass in the 6-6 tie with the Arizona Cardinals belongs in the Seahawks Hall of Fame. Go rewatch his highlights and you’ll be amazed at his superhuman feats of excellence.

Share your favorite “Valiant in defeat” Seahawks player performances in the comments section!