There is plenty of bad blood between the 49ers and Seahawks, and Week 14 featured more fireworks in the NFC West rivalry.
San Francisco defeated Seattle for the second time this season, handing Pete Carroll's crew a 28-16 loss at Levi's Stadium. The win helped Kyle Shanahan's contingent to leap into first place in the NFC playoff picture, while the loss knocked the Seahawks out of a postseason spot for now.
It wouldn't be a true 49ers-Seahawks game without tensions boiling over, and that's exactly what happened on Sunday. The two sides got into a brief scrum late in the fourth quarter, resulting in Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf getting ejected alongside 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir.
Seeing Metcalf lose his cool isn't uncommon. The Pro Bowl wide receiver has been hit time and time again with fines for his outbursts, and Shanahan reportedly used his history as an incentive for the 49ers in Week 14.
MORE: Updated NFL standings, playoff picture Week 14
Here is more on what Shanahan said to his team about Metcalf before the win against the Seahawks.
What did Kyle Shanahan say about DK Metcalf?
The San Francisco Chronicle's Mike Silver reported that in the lead-up to the 49ers-Seahawks contest in Week 14, Shanahan challenged his team to throw Metcalf off his game. According to Silver, the San Francisco head coach showed clips of the Seattle receiver losing his cool as motivation for his team to try and get under his skin.
"We will get '14' to lose his mind," Shanahan said, according to Silver. "Christmas present for whoever gets him."
Shanahan's message worked to perfection. It may have come later than anticipated, but the 49ers were able to get Metcalf to lose his call late in the fourth quarter.
Why was DK Metcalf ejected vs. 49ers?
Metcalf was ejected with 3:24 remaining in regulation during the Seahawks' loss to the 49ers.
He first drew a flag when he tackled San Francisco linebacker Fred Warner following a Drew Lock interception. The Seahawks receiver suplexed Warner, who had lateraled the ball to linebacker Drew Greenlaw.
After Metcalf slammed Warner, the 49ers captain then pushed the Seattle star to the ground. Metcalf proceeded to grab Warner's face mask with both hands.
Seahawks WR DK Metcalf has been ejected for this interaction with 49ers LB Fred Warner. pic.twitter.com/NX1SJXvp5n
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) December 10, 2023
No punches were thrown by either Metcalf or Warner, but it was enough for the officials to kick Metcalf out of the game. He wasn't the only one, as Lenoir also was tossed after rushing into the scrum to get a shove in on Metcalf.
DK Metcalf and Deommodore Lenoir have been ejected from the game pic.twitter.com/CZ91L5lK2A
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 10, 2023
If Shanahan was serious about the early Christmas gift, it looks like Warner should be the recipient. The 49ers linebacker was asked about the altercation after the game, and the Pro Bowler simply stated he was trying to compliment his tackling.
Fred Warner details what went down in the DK Metcalf scuffle 👀 pic.twitter.com/jwOx8Swb8x
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) December 11, 2023
"Yeah, I don’t know what happened, man," Warner said after the game. "I told him he tackles really well and then for some reason he didn’t like that and, you know, I guess what happened, happened. It’s unfortunate, man. He gotta learn to keep his composure. But happy we came out with the dub."
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Metcalf had a different view of the incident. He felt as though he was hit in the back of the head by Warner, who did make contact with Metcalf after he was tackled to the ground.
"If you want to call it frustration, yeah, it was frustration," Metcalf said after the game. "From my side, he hit me in the back of the head. I just retaliated."
It's not the first time that Metcalf has had trouble hiding his emotions in a game. He's already been fined five times this season, and could be hit with another one if the NFL feels his latest outburst warrants discipline.
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