ATLANTA — With 10 seconds left in the second quarter Sunday, Geno Smith took a shotgun snap, stepped up, reset and ripped a 31-yard rope into the end zone. The ball met the massive mitts of DK Metcalf — who absorbed a shot from safety Jessie Bates III, bounced to his feet and unfurled a defiant flex.

Smith, too, flexed toward his sideline as he skipped backward to celebrate. Upon meeting Metcalf, he placed both hands on the helmet of his hulking wide receiver.

It was a call that required pinpoint precision, and assumed significant risk. With a 10-7 lead, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb trusted his offense line — including rookie right tackle Michael Jerrell, who was making his first career start — to keep Smith clean. If the 34-year-old quarterback took a sack, the clock would expire before kicker Jason Myers could attempt a field goal. Buoyed by the stop, the Falcons would receive the ball to start the second half as well.

On the heels of three straight losses, as a road underdog, Grubb tossed the keys to his quarterback.

In an eventual 34-14 win, Smith and Metcalf made a play.

"We've shown over the course of three years I've been here that we're going to take that shot if it's available," said Smith, who completed 18-of-28 passes and threw for 207 yards and two touchdowns. "Obviously Grubb has to put that confidence in me to understand the situation and the clock and get the ball out on time.

"Those are things that we practice. We look for the situations and moments to take advantage of them. We had the opportunity. I thought the protection was great. DK ran a great route and we were able to get in the end zone."

That outcome, of course, was hardly guaranteed. Smith sputtered in the Seahawks' 36-24 loss to the 49ers on Oct. 10, throwing for 312 yards with a touchdown and a pair of punishing picks. Metcalf claimed responsibility for Smith's second interception, after abandoning his route and allowing cornerback Renardo Green to pounce on the pass. Metcalf — who lost fumbles in each of the previous two games — narrowly missed two touchdowns as well, landing an inch out of bounds in one case and later having a 53-yard score erased by a penalty.

So, yes: That connection has been accompanied by consistent controversy. Does Smith qualify as a franchise quarterback (and should he be paid like one)? Does Metcalf's unique athleticism outweigh everything else? Is the pair elite, average or otherwise?

If you're reading this, you probably have an opinion.

But with a first-half exclamation point, they made a compelling case.

"It was great preparation by our offensive staff, faith in our guys," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said of the decision. "We felt like we had enough time to go ahead and make that play call. If it was incomplete, we felt like we were still in [field goal] range. So we stayed aggressive."

The risk was warranted. After all, the Seahawks entered Sunday's game with first-time starters at right tackle (Jerrell), cornerback (Nehemiah Pritchett and Josh Jobe) and safety (Coby Bryant). The secondary was assembled using thumb tacks, draft picks and prayers. Running back Kenneth Walker III received the flu as an unfortunate birthday gift but played anyway. That defense — which entered Sunday ranking 26th in rushing yards allowed per game (144.7) and 27th in opponent yards per carry (5.0) — surrendered 113 rushing yards, 7.3 yards per carry and a touchdown in the first half alone.

Point being: forget the final score.

For Smith and Metcalf — on the play, and on the day — there was little margin for error at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

It'll continue to be that way.

Because most likely, the Seahawks' run defense won't find a magic midseason fix. Roy Robertson-Harris — though he turned in five tackles in his first game after being traded from Jacksonville — isn't singlehandedly here to save the day. The offensive line also remains a work in painful progress, with the return timetable for right tackle Abraham Lucas increasingly clouded.

This is a talented, injured, inconsistent, occasionally opportunistic 4-3 team.

For it to be more — for the Seahawks' preseason playoff hopes to remain realistic — Smith and Metcalf must lead the way.

Of course, in Metcalf's case, it's never quite so simple. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound wide receiver could have added a second score, but a 20-yard floater from Smith on the Seahawks' opening drive drifted through his fingertips. And after leading them with four catches for 99 yards on the day, Metcalf left in the second half with a knee injury.

"We're optimistic at this point," Macdonald said of Metcalf's status. "It doesn't look too bad."

Metcalf remains a tantalizing riddle, full of touchdowns and flags and fumbles and flexes. That was also evident late in the second quarter, when Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba corralled a lateral and lobbed a jump ball to Metcalf for a 35-yard gain.

"I told everybody [in practice this week that] I'm throwing it," Smith-Njigba said. "I trust 14. 14's the most athletic, best player on the field, so why not give him a shot? So I just kind of threw it up, gave him a chance, and he did all the work for real. He made the play."

Smith made even more — evading a rush to find tight end Noah Fant for a 28-yard improvisation, and later stepping up to flick a 17-yard touchdown to a diving Walker as well.

But that 31-yard strike from Smith to Metcalf encompasses what both are capable of.

For the Seahawks to become serious contenders, we'll have to see more of the same.

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