INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- The Seattle Seahawks beat the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday to move into sole possession of first place in the NFC West at 4-3, but they lost DK Metcalf to a knee injury in the process.
Coach Pete Carroll said X-rays were negative, but he was concerned that Metcalf might need to miss time depending on the results of an MRI he'll undergo when the Seahawks return to Seattle.
Metcalf was hurt late in the first quarter of the Seahawks' 37-23 win at SoFi Stadium when he tried to make a leaping catch near the end zone and landed awkwardly on his left knee. He immediately went to the Seahawks' sideline, was carted into the locker room and was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game.
"He did something to his knee," Carroll said. "His knee wasn't feeling right and he landed funny. That's kind of all I know about it right now. I'm thrilled that there was nothing on the X-rays. We've had one test. We've got to get another test when we get back ..."
Metcalf, who signed a three-year, $72 million extension this summer, entered Sunday with 30 catches for 406 yards and two touchdowns. Before the injury, he had one catch for 12 yards, drew a defensive pass interference penalty and was also flagged for offensive PI.
Safety Ryan Neal said Metcalf was in good spirits in the locker room at halftime and that the receiver told him, "I'm all right."
"He was smiling," Neal said. "That's a good sign for anybody."
The Seahawks' wide receiver corps was already banged up, with Tyler Lockett playing through a hamstring injury that kept him from practicing all week and Penny Hart inactive because of a hamstring injury of his own. Lockett finished with seven catches for 45 yards and made it out of the game OK, Carroll said.
Veteran Marquise Goodwin had his best game of the season with four catches for 67 yards and two touchdowns. The 32-year-old speedster signed a minimum-salary deal with the Seahawks in May, missed time in camp with a hamstring injury and has started to emerge as Seattle's third receiver.
"He had a couple terrific touchdowns today, had a nice catch last week as well," Carroll said. "So if DK is going to take a little bit to get back, he'll jump into a role where we really feel confident using him. He had a lot of fun today. It was exciting to see him help us out so much."
Carroll didn't have any update on right guard Phil Haynes or special teams ace Nick Bellore, who both left the game with concussions. Carroll said Haynes was removed from the game by the in-stadium injury spotter, a decision Carroll appreciated.
Chargers cornerback J.C. Jackson went down in the first half with a serious knee injury that, like Metcalf's injury, wasn't the result of contact with another player. Neal mentioned both injuries while blaming the artificial surface at SoFi Stadium.
"We can have the conversations about turf and grass," he said. "That's just a whole 'nother conversation, but you hate seeing stuff like that anytime. It's not even off of people hitting somebody. It's the freaking surface. So it sucks to have that happen, but DK's in good spirits. He had a smile on his face, so I think we're going to be all right."