Late in the fourth quarter of the Rams’ 30-13 victory over the Seahawks, there was an incident between Seattle receiver DK Metcalf and Los Angeles defensive back Ahkello Witherspoon.
The Seahawks were down 27-13 after the Rams had connected on a field goal and were starting their drive at their own 25-yard line. Quarterback Geno Smith completed a pass on the left to tight end Colby Parkinson to begin the possession with an 8-yard gain.
But on the backside of the play, Witherspoon ended up down on the turf and was examined by trainers before heading to the sideline under his own power. The FOX broadcast put up two angles of a replay that showed Metcalf giving Witherspoon a hard shove to the turf, likely after the ball had been caught. Witherspoon was not looking at Metcalf and with the game out of reach, likely wasn’t expecting to get blocked like that so far away from the action of the play.
The Rams’ sideline was irate, with head coach Sean McVay appearing to say, “That’s so bad!” on the broadcast. The jawing between Metcalf and Los Angeles continued until Metcalf was issued a taunting penalty before the next snap.
So, what happened?
“Well, I was blocking,” Metcalf said in his postgame press conference. “I guess I blocked him a little too hard and pushed him to the ground and he got up mad because he felt like I blocked him in the back.
“But I mean, that’s just how I play. I block every play when I don’t have the ball and I’m never taking a play off or jogging, trying to take a play off. So that’s what transpired.”
But Witherspoon didn’t get up mad immediately — he stayed down and was looked at by team officials. He was off the field once FOX returned from the commercial break, but with Metcalf still talking, the receiver was then given the taunting foul.
As for the taunting penalty, Metcalf said, “I saw their coaches yelling at me or saying something to me and their players. And I let that get to me and I retaliated. The second man always gets called. So, just got to be better in that aspect.”
If nothing else, Metcalf could have — and probably should have — been flagged for a blindside block on Witherspoon. It may have been a shove out of frustration, or Metcalf may have just been trying to stay mentally engaged in the game. But we’ll see if Metcalf is fined for the hit next weekend.
The Seahawks will be on the road playing the Lions in Week 2.
