Benches Clear After Seahawks Safety Twists Deebo Samuel's Ankle On Controversial Tackle, Sparks 25-6 Run For 49ers
Jonathan Abram's questionable tackle during Saturday's NFC Wild Card game between Seattle and San Francisco may have been the spark that the 49ers needed. They came back out with a chip on their shoulders and put the game away.
Early in the third quarter, on 3rd-and-7 from the Seattle 37-yard-line, Deebo Samuel caught a pass and went for 21 yards. He took the ball down to the 16-yard-line and put his team in scoring position.
Abram, a Seahawks safety, was in on the tackle and grabbed onto Samuel's leg to bring him down. In doing so, he gave an extra little twist after he was already down.
And he didn't stop there. Abram kept hold of Samuel's foot and gave it a tug as he got back to his feet and dragged the wide receiver on the turf.
Samuel was furious. He immediately asked for a penalty, but did not get the call.
Things got chippy in response to the controversial tackle. The 49ers were not happy with Abrams, while the Seahawks came to his defense.
Both benches cleared and the two sides met at the hashmark to try and hash things out. The officials eventually broke things up, but not without plenty of pushing, shoving, and jarring.
Samuel was able to walk off of the field on his on power and returned to the game not long thereafter.
He went on to finish with six catches for 122 yards and a touchdown in a 41-23 win. San Francisco went on to score 25 unanswered points after Abram's twist before Seattle found the end zone after it was too late.
Abram's tackle did not draw a flag, but it likely would have warranted one if the officials had seen. Either way, Samuel was okay and it did not change the outcome so it all came out in the wash.