49ers linebacker suplexed by Seahawks’ Metcalf, who gets ejected

Officials ejected 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir and Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf from Sunday’s game for their respective roles in a scuffle that broke out following a San Francisco interception.

Niners linebacker Fred Warner picked off a pass from Seattle quarterback Drew Lock late in the fourth quarter. As Warner tried to extend the play, pitching the ball to a teammate, Metcalf threw the linebacker to the ground hard. After getting back up, Warner got a shot back at Metcalf, shoving the receiver in the back.

It was at this point that the scuffle essentially kicked off. Metcalf took exception to Warner’s shot and grabbed the Niners linebacker by the facemask with both hands, and shoved Warner away. The two went at it again, with Metcalf once again grabbing Warner’s facemask, and then players from both teams got involved in some pushing and shoving as officials tried to calm things down.

Lenoir’s involvement came later in the scuffle. The second time that Warner and Metcalf went face-to-face, Lenoir ran over in defense of his teammate and tried to shove Metcalf away. Officials seemed to deem that this was worthy of an ejection, though that might have been a case of how they viewed what Lenoir did. Speaking to reporters after the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan said, “I was told Demo threw a punch.” 

A shove, sure, but it’s hard to see what Lenoir did as throwing a punch, especially in the slow-motion replay of what happened.

It was clearly a frustrating day for Metcalf. While he started Sunday’s game with two catches and a touchdown, he failed to make any receptions in the final three quarters despite being targeted three times. In two of those targets, the Niners came away with an interception. 

Both picks caused Metcalf immense frustration. Before starting the midfield scuffle in the fourth quarter, Metcalf was seen smashing the helmet warmer on the sideline after Ji’Ayir Brown picked off a pass intended for him.

This the second week in a row that the Niners have had a notable player on their defense ejected after an altercation. If there’s any silver lining to Lenoir’s ejection, it’s the fact that at least an opposing player was also tossed this time, as opposed to just a team employee. It’s also worth noting that the Niners have won both of the games in this ejection streak, beating the Seahawks on Sunday, 28-16. That being said, it’s hard to imagine Shanahan wanting this streak to keep going for much longer.