Josh Metellus, Vikings’ vibe man, stays animated celebrating success or mourning lost opportunity

SEATTLE - Vikings safety Josh Metellus knows the reaction was dramatic.

Jumping into the air, hands to his helmet. Throwing himself to the ground, face down.

He couldn’t help it. He wants his teammates to succeed.

He’d seen linebacker Blake Cashman nearly secure his first interception of the season to join the long list of Vikings who have one. Instead, the ball hit the ground.

“That hurt. It hurt my soul,” Metellus said postgame. “ ’Cause I know he’s capable of doing that. I wanted him to get his first pick of the season, ’cause we all got picks. I just wanted him to join the club.”

If NFL teams designated a captain specifically for cultivating team vibes, Metellus would be a near lock for the role.

From his recurring “Tell Us with Metellus” social media segment to helping coordinate in-game celebrations, Metellus' infectious, fun, team-first attitude is helping stoke a positive energy for Minnesota late in the season as it fights for a No. 1 playoff seed. The Vikings added a 27-24 victory over Seattle to that effort Sunday.

The Vikings being 13-2 helps, too.

Metellus' commentary on his reaction to Cashman’s near-pick spiraled into a heated, playful discussion postgame in a far corner of the visitors locker room at Lumen Field where some of the game’s key contributors were positioned.

Cashman was right there, arguing his case about what went wrong. Something about his elbow, his eyes, peeking at the back.

Ten Vikings defenders have interceptions this year. Theo Jackson and Dallas Turner joined the club Sunday. Cashman should have, too.

Other teammates chimed in or just laughed and listened, including Jonathan Greenard, standing over Cashman’s shoulder.

“Cash, you can catch!” Metellus yelled. “Danny Dimes [Daniel Jones] was throwing balls all week for us.”

Also in the mix was safety Jackson, who saw increased snaps because of Harrison Smith’s injury and secured a game-sealing interception that was celebrated with the latest of Metellus and safety Camryn Bynum’s made-to-go-viral references.

Jackson said the safety room is “like brothers” and that those players consider themselves the communication hub of the defense.

It makes sense that an on-field role like that would translate to the broader role Metellus has adopted in the locker room.

Since linebacker Ivan Pace Jr.’s hamstring injury Nov. 24, Metellus has been spending most game snaps out of position filling in for him. He did it earlier in the season when Pace missed two games because of an ankle injury, too.

Despite the adjustment, Metellus has thrived.

He intercepted former Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins in the victory over the Falcons on Dec. 8. He made 10 tackles last Monday when the Vikings beat the Bears, tying his season-high from the Cardinals game.

Against the Seahawks, Metellus finished with seven tackles, third-most on the team behind Cashman (12) and Byron Murphy Jr. (10).

He hit Seattle quarterback Geno Smith twice, beating running back blocks to land those hits.

Neither was a sack, though, which he said makes him “sick.” He swears he’s going to get his before the regular season ends.

It might be harder, as Pace is expected to return from injured reserve next week against the Packers and Metellus likely will move back into the secondary. He said he was unworried about changing again.

“When you’ve got guys like this in the building where we love each and every one of these players, you wanna do whatever you can to help the team win,” he said. “I’ve got nothing else to do but do what I gotta do on the field to help us win.”

That love shone through when Metellus was asked about Jackson’s game-sealing interception.

“Every time Theo Jackson touch the field, he’s getting a pick,” Metellus said.

Then, louder: “Every time Theo touch the field, he’s getting a pick.”

He quieted down after that. Apologized for the outburst. Metellus justified it, though there was no need to.

“We just won our 13th game,” he said with a grin.