Did Fred Warner’s 49ers predict DK Metcalf’s meltdown?

Messing with Fred Warner usually isn’t the smartest idea. DK Metcalf learned that lesson the hard way Sunday afternoon.

Tempers flared late in Sunday’s Seattle Seahawks-San Francisco 49ers showdown, ultimately resulting in Metcalf being ejected following a scuffle with the former BYU star Warner.

In the game’s final minutes, Seattle backup quarterback Drew Lock launched a desperate fourth down prayer in a frantic effort to keep his team alive, only for Warner to showcase his elite coverage abilities by racing deep for a leaping, over the shoulder interception to all but seal the win for San Francisco.

Such an ending would be understandably painful, but Metcalf took his displeasure to the extreme.

Attempting to make a sequence-ending tackle, the ultra-physical Pro Bowl wide receiver grabbed hold of Warner and angrily slammed him to the ground. Warner — who no longer possessed the football after tossing a lateral to a teammate — took exception to Metcalf’s roughhousing, responding with a forceful push to the back of his helmet before leaving the scene.

Metcalf wasn’t willing to give up the fight so easily. He proceeded to chase after Warner, grabbing him violently by the face mask, pulling him into his own face to berate him and then shoving him away, all while the linebacker stood calmly with his hands up in confusion.

Officials on the scene promptly ejected Metcalf following the altercation, and Warner’s teammate Deommodore Lenoir earned disqualification, as well, in an extended skirmish between the two squads.

“I don’t know what happened, man, I told him he tackles really well and then for some reason he didn’t like that and, you know, I guess what happened happened,” Warner said to reporters after San Francisco’s 28-16 victory. “It’s unfortunate, man. (He’s) gotta learn to keep his composure, but (I’m) happy we came out with the dub.”

Metcalf’s explosion was just the latest in a long-running saga of hot-headed antics for the 25-year-old, a weakness 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan specifically targeted and hoped to exploit in preparing for the matchup, according to a report from the San Francisco Chronicle’s Mike Silver.

“We will get (Metcalf) to lose his mind,” Shanahan reportedly instructed his players. “Christmas present for whoever gets him.”

Warner’s effort definitely did the trick, putting the two-time All Pro at the top of Shanahan’s “nice list.”

Aside from the post-interception dustup, Warner finished the day with eight total tackles against Seattle, bringing his season total up to 107 stops along with two sacks, three forced fumbles and four picks for the NFC’s top-seeded 49ers.