Kyle Shanahan delivered the joke, and the 49ers finished the punchline.
Long before Seattle Seahawks star DK Metcalf was ejected from the 49ers’ 28-16 win Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, San Francisco’s coach reportedly offered his team some holiday cheer if they could get under the wideout’s skin.
Shanahan predicted Metcalf’s in-game meltdown during a team meeting Saturday night, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Mike Silver reported in his latest column, showing 49ers players video clips of the receiver’s previous outbursts and jokingly giving them some motivation to cause one in their Week 14 tilt.
“We will get ‘14’ to lose his mind,” Shanahan told his players, per Silver, before jokingly promising, “Christmas present for whoever gets him.”
Well, it appears Fred Warner will hand Shanahan his Christmas list soon.
The 49ers linebacker and Metcalf got into it late in Sunday’s game after Warner intercepted a pass thrown by Seahawks backup quarterback Drew Lock. After Metcalf tackled Warner by slamming him to the ground, Warner shoved Metcalf’s head toward the turf, and a midfield melee ensued.
“Yeah, I don’t know what happened, man,” Warner told reporters after the game. “I told him he tackles really well, and then, for some reason, he didn’t like that. I guess what happened, happened. It’s unfortunate, man.
“[He’s] got to learn to keep is composure, but happy we came out with the dub.”
Metcalf and 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir were ejected after the scuffle. That meant Metcalf ended up finishing the game with two receptions for 52 yards and a 31-yard touchdown, which came after the 49ers’ top cornerback, Charvarius Ward, was sidelined with a groin injury.
While it remains to be seen if the No. 9-seeded Seahawks will make it to the NFC playoffs and face the 49ers, San Francisco certainly will look to get the best of Metcalf again in the future after its season sweep of Seattle.
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Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
