49ers players reportedly incentivized to antagonize Seahawks WR DK Metcalf
Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf has developed a reputation around the NFL for being a bit of a hothead — a reputation that San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan decided to use against him.
According to Mike Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle, Shanahan incentivized his players to get under Metcalf’s skin in Sunday’s 28-16 win — a tactic that worked when Metcalf was ejected with less than three minutes left in the fourth quarter following a scuffle with 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir.
“We will get [Metcalf] to lose his mind,” Shanahan told his players the day before the game as he showed them video clips of Metcalf's past meltdowns, according to Silver. “Christmas present for whoever gets him.”
The ejections happened after 49ers linebacker Fred Warner intercepted Seahawks QB Drew Lock on a fourth-and-13 play from the San Francisco 48-yard line, a pass that was intended for Metcalf.
As Warner got up from the turf with the ball, Metcalf grabbed him around the waist and body-slammed him to the turf again. Not taking kindly to the move, Warner shoved Metcalf to the ground head first, which prompted the All-Pro WR to grab him by the facemask as he got to his feet.
When Metcalf wouldn’t let go of Warner’s facemask, Lenoir came from out of frame and shoved him around the neck.
“I don’t start it; I just finish it,” Lenoir said, per Silver.
The win was the 49ers’ 11th straight against division opponents, and it’s their fifth straight win over the Seahawks — a new franchise record. It also marks the first time San Francisco has swept Seattle in consecutive seasons.
More must-reads: