A questionable tackle on star receiver Deebo Samuel led to a tense dust-up on Saturday during the third quarter of the wild-card round matchup between the Seahawks and 49ers.
The incident occurred after Samuel came away with a 21-yard reception on third-and-seven with just under 10:30 minutes left in the quarter. The Niners wideout was brought down at the end of his highlight play by Seahawks safety Johnathan Abram, who grabbed him around his left ankle to make the tackle.
Just as the play was settling down, however, Abram hung on to Samuel’s ankle and appeared to twist it as he stood to his feet. The move prompted a shocked Samuel, who notably missed Weeks 14-17 with left ankle and MCL sprains before returning in Week 18, to point at Abram and look at the officials while the Levi’s Stadium crowd erupted in boos.
From there, both teams started pushing and shoving as the officials attempted to restore order. San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan was also seen strongly protesting Abram’s move while talking to the officials in search of an explanation.
Despite the 49ers’ best efforts, however, Abram was ultimately not flagged for the play.
After the skirmish concluded, San Francisco eventually ended the drive five plays later with a one-yard Brock Purdy touchdown run to take a 23–17 lead over Seattle.
Samuel would end up staying in the game after briefly exiting following the tackle.
