49ers Starter Savagely Roasts Seahawks Star DK Metcalf: 'One of Us Showed Up'

On Thursday night against the 49ers, Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf was targeted an astonishing 11 times--accounting for nearly a quarter of all Geno Smith's targets. But he made just three catches for a relatively innocuous 48 yards.

That was a surprise because the guy expected to cover Metcalf was Charvarius Ward, the 49ers' top corner and one of the best cover guys in the league. But without Ward, the 49ers handed Deommodore Lenoir the task of shutting down Metcalf.

And he did so, frustrating the mercurial Seahawks star in the process. After the 36-24 49ers win, Lenoir was asked if he sensed that Metcalf was frsutrated.

"Very," Lenoir said.

Lenoir acknowledged that it was not a quiet time for him, doing all that work on Metcalf, who is known as one of the biggest trash-talkers in the game. Lenoir called Metcalf, "the Hyena," and made clear his policy on responding to his chatter.

"I just know the Hyena can't be f---ed with. For real, that's all I knew. I don't know what he was doing over there," Lenoir said.

Lenoir, a 25-year-old former fifth-round pick (2021), has developed into a reliable corner, either opposite Ward or playing in the slot. He has started every game for the 49ers going back to Week 6 of the 2022 season.

He did well handling Ward's duties on Thursday, even if he had to put up with Metcalf's mouth.

"There was a lot of conversation out there because, you're gonna compete, it's football," Lenois said. "We kept it football, but one of us showed up. He gonna talk. That kinda builds guys confidence up when they talk. Unlike me, I'm a proof is in the pudding (guy)."

As for Ward, he suffered a knee bruise in the Week 5 loss to the Cardinals, and coach Kyle Shanahan said he nearly played against Seattle.

"It was close enough to where it was a game-time decision. He went and worked out (in pre-game), and it was close, but couldn't go," Shanahan said.