DK Metcalf's latest mistake is another costly one from the Seahawks star

The Seattle Seahawks were terrible and deservedly lost 29-20 to the New York Giants, but you can still play badly and get a win. We've seen many Seahawks teams, including elite teams, follow this script and get a W for a poor performance.

One of the key moments of Sunday's loss was DK Metcalf fumbling the ball right on the edge of New York's red zone. Deonte Banks pulled him and Tyler Nubin, a rookie taken with the second-rounder the Seahawks gave to the Giants in the Leonard Williams trade, was there for recovery. Considering the Giants scored a touchdown after that, it was a swing of at least 10 points.

It's the second week in a row Metcalf has done it, and it's resulted in a touchdown the other way.

I fully trust CBS play-by-play man Andrew Catalon when he told viewers that Metcalf has lost eight fumbles in his career, the most of any wide receiver in the NFL since entering the league. Considering Metcalf fumbled nine times, one of which was that stupid fumble against the Dallas Cowboys in 2020, that's a damning statistic. Virtually every receiver who has made more fumbles than Metcalf since 2019 has had kick or punt return duties, so even a muffed punt counts as a fumble.

In between, Metcalf's recent fumble encapsulates DK's duality. He is exceptionally talented and one of the best deep threats in sports. Its speed is incredibly high for its size. Each year he has worked to improve aspects of his game, including contested high-point catches on the sideline and make more hand catches.

There's also Metcalf, whose hands still aren't nearly consistent enough to be elite at his position. He started the Giants game with a drop on the first play and had two drops despite his otherwise strong game against the New England Patriots. Metcalf had no errors last year, but his drop rate was his worst since 2020. It is unacceptable that ball security continues to be an issue for him this long into his career.

Then there are the penalties. A lot of penalties. Metcalf was (rightly) criticized for his overly aggressive play and temper, which resulted in several personal foul penalties. Since entering the league, no receiver has received more warnings than Metcalf, and he has already signed five this season. None were of the 15-yard variety, but they were called for three offensive pass interferences, a holding penalty that negated a touchdown by Kenneth Walker and another touchdown that negated a first down by Zach Charbonnet on two plays took place before the controversial OPI, nullified Tyler Lockett against the Lions.

As a staunch defender of Metcalf, who even posted three consecutive 100-yard receiving games for the first time in franchise history, I have finally given in to whether or not he is the type of player who should land another big contract with the Seahawks' expansion. When he's great, he's great, and he's one of the most productive receivers in franchise history in less than six seasons. However, in an era where great college wide receivers seem to be in the absolute preponderance, Metcalf wasn't so great that he should be considered untouchable. If mistakes continue to impact his productivity, it's 100 percent reasonable to question whether that justifies more than $30 million a year.