Seahawks fight while losing: DK Metcalf explains, disagrees with ejection at 49ers
No, DK Metcalf said, this was not a venting of frustration at losing, like his ejection two years ago at the end of a game at Green Bay.
This was not, he said, a continuation of the after-play woofin’ and antics that have helped him be the NFL’s most-penalized wide receiver in each of the last few seasons.
This was, the Seahawks’ all-eyes-on-him star said Sunday, retaliation of what San Francisco All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner did to him.
Metcalf got ejected along with 49ers defensive back Deommodore Lenior following Warner’s fourth-down interception of Seahawks fill-in quarterback Drew Lock, who started for injured Geno Smith. Just over 2 minutes remained in Seattle’s 28-16 loss at San Francisco Sunday at Levi’s Stadium. It was the fourth consecutive defeat for the Seahawks (6-7), who are sliding out of realistic playoff contention with four games left following this fifth straight loss to the Niners.
The Seahawks’ wide receiver suplex-slammed Warner to the ground, after Warner lateraled the ball following his interception. Metcalf said after the game he didn’t realize Warner had lateraled the ball to teammate Dre Greenlaw.
Warner didn’t like Metcalf’s toss of him. He hit Metcalf with two hands in the back of the helmet while Metcalf was on the ground and Greenlaw’s interception return continued. They woofed. Metcalf put his hands out as if that say “what, the...” then grabbed Warner’s face mask with them and pushed Warner’s head back.
Both benches emptied.
Seattle coach Pete Carroll talked with Metcalf on the sideline before he jogged to the Seahawks locker room, with boos raining onto him from 49ers fans.
It was Metcalf’s second ejection from a game in three seasons.
“I mean, if you want to call it frustration, yeah, it was frustration,” Metcalf said in another quiet Seahawks locker room after another loss. “From my side, he hit me in the back of the head. So I just retaliated from that.
“In my mind, when I see a pick I turn into a defensive player. I mean, defensive players don’t get mad when they tackle me and suplex me like that, so, yeah, that’s what I was doing.
“I was making a tackle for my team,” said Metcalf, who caught a touchdown pass from fill-in quarterback Drew Lock on a smooth pass and catch in the first quarter.
For his part, Warner claimed ignorance. In fact, he said he complimented Metcalf and got attacked for it(?)
“I don’t know what happened,” the 49ers’ stud linebacker said. “I told him he tackled really well, and then for some reason he didn’t like that. I guess what happened, happened. That’s unfortunate.”
Warner also furthered the narrative that’s been around the NFL with officials and opponents for years, the one Metcalf said is not what happened Sunday.
“He has to learn to keep his composure,” Warner said.
“But happy we came out with the win.”
49ers covering Metcalf changed
Metcalf had reason to be mad at how his Sunday went, in particular.
The game began as Seattle and play caller Shane Waldron expected: San Francisco in a lot of man-to-man coverage, with top cornerback Charvarius Ward on Metcalf. The game plan was for Lock to challenge Ward with the bigger Metcalf.
Then Ward got hurt on the 49ers’ first defensive series of the game. That Seattle possession ended when Lock saw 49ers backup cornerback Ambry Thomas one on one with Metcalf. Metcalf beat Thomas down the left sideline and Lock made a fine throw for a 31-yard touchdown. The Seahawks tied the game at 7.
That was about the end of man coverage on Metcalf Sunday.
The 49ers changed their defensive plan. They went to more two-deep zone coverage, with two safeties back in the middle of the field. That’s back to what most of the league does with Metcalf, a cornerback underneath him and a safety over the top in so-called “cloud” coverage.
Metcalf had only one other catch all day.
“I think with (number) seven (Ward) on the field they were going to be more prone to playing a little more man-to-man,” Lock said. “Then, sure enough, he goes out and they start playing a bunch of zones, a bunch of two-high zones...and giving the extra help.”
Waldron’s and the Seahawks’ counter was to run more, then throw play-action passes off of that to attack the two-deep safety zone. Running back Zach Charbonnet in particular got going. He had 44 yards on nine carries.
But Lock and the Seahawks couldn’t get the play-action passes to work consistently. Seattle got out-gained 245 yards to 62 in the second and third quarters. The Seahawks’ 10-7 lead became a 21-10 deficit, and the adjustment to run the ball _ a key to Seattle pulling this upset as a 15-point underdog — ended.
Pete Carroll on DK Metcalf ejection
As for the fighting and penalties and Metcalf’s ejection, Carroll assessed it as a by-product of the first four-game losing streak Seattle’s had since Carroll became this team’s coach in January 2010.
Yeah, that was a minute ago.
“I saw DK get drilled in the back of the head on the play,” Carroll said. “I don’t know what happened after that. ...
“It’s just tensions.
“It’s hard. It’s a long time, now.”
Yes, it is. Since the Seahawks won, that is. It was Nov. 12 over Washington, almost a full month ago. And it took a last-play field goal to do that.
During this losing streak Seattle has gone from first place in the NFC West to eliminated from the division race — four games back with four to go, and no way to win a head-to-head tiebreaker with San Francisco.
Carroll also mentioned Seahawks younger than the 25-year-old Metcalf scuffling after plays when they shouldn’t have. He named rookie wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who got penalized for a personal foul in the second half, for acting at the wrong time and wrong place.
“I thought three or four guys were out of whack a little bit,” Carroll said.
“These guys are fighting through. They are trying to figure it out,” Carroll said. “They aren’t willing to accept what’s going on. So, they are going to fight. And, to some extent, that’s what happened.”
This story was originally published December 10, 2023 at 7:18 PM.
