Tensions flared between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks after what looked to be a lapse in judgment by a Seahawks defender. During the third quarter of Saturday's Wild Card Round playoff game between the two teams, wide receiver Deebo Samuel took a Brock Purdy pass on third-and-seven and advanced the 49ers offense 21 yards.
Two Seahawks defenders brought Samuel down, but that wasn't the end of it. One of the two, safety Johnathan Abram, grabbed Samuel's foot, pulled on it, and appeared to twist it, infuriating Samuel's teammates. Samuel remained on the field, hoping for a penalty flag.
Deebo wanted a flag after this play.
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/o4Dr5kM2Xp
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 14, 2023
Keep in mind that Samuel missed several weeks this season with a left ankle and MCL sprain before returning for the regular-season finale. Replays evoked boos from the fans on hand at Levi's Stadium.
The situation prompted pushing and shoving from players from both sides. Not from Samuel, though.
"I stayed down a little because I almost lost my temper," Samuel admitted. "You can see the definition of our team of IGYB—I've got your back. ... At the end of the day, I felt like that turned our team up a notch, and as you can see, we just went out there, and made plays."
Samuel admitted that he needed that time to calm himself down.
"It hurt," the receiver shared. "In my mind, I was about to lose it, but I just kept calm. Just seeing how [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] came off the sideline is the true definition of our team."
Samuel added, "When I got up, it was [number] 23 who twisted my ankle, and I went right at 30 (think it was Mike Jackson). I just like blacked out for a second. I just see all red jerseys on the field."
The receiver believes the incident probably motivated his teammates, given that Samuel had just recently returned to the field.
"I was worried that he was hurt on it," Shanahan said. "I lost my mind a little bit on that. But yeah, I was real concerned that he was hurt on it. I didn't like how that looked. I thought it looked pretty bad, and the intent of the play. I think that pissed a lot of people off. I think that pissed our team off. And I think you could kind of feel our team react to that after.
"I wish we were like that from the first play, always, but sometimes when some stuff motivates the guys, I think it's cool to see us rally together. I know Deebo was bothered. It was cool he came back and answered."
Quarterback Brock Purdy believes the incident changed the intensity of the offensive huddle.
"That's our guy, Deebo," Purdy said. "He brings so much to the team, the juice, the swagger, all that kind of stuff. He was down, obviously, and the guys just kept going. It's like, 'Come on, let's play clean here.' We get it's a physical game and everything, but to do that, it's unnecessary."
Running back Christian McCaffrey added, "I would say that got everybody going."
It wasn't just the offense that found increased motivation. The incident infuriated the defense too.
"I don't know what he was trying to achieve by doing that, but it wasn't the smartest move for sure," linebacker Fred Warner said, admitting that the incident fired up the defense too.
Defensive end Nick Bosa called Abram's actions "dirty."
"I would not piss off the dudes on offense, especially Deebo, because he'll make you pay," Bosa said. "... It's playoff football, it's our rival, so I wouldn't expect anything less. But yeah, don't poke the bear."
Samuel ended up remaining in the game after a brief exit. He finished the day with six catches for 133 receiving yards and a touchdown while adding three carries for 32 rushing yards.