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SEATTLE — Dre Greenlaw used his head, but the San Francisco 49ers linebacker won’t earn any plaudits for his football IQ.
Greenlaw was ejected in the second quarter of the 49ers’ game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday after he initiated a scuffle on the Seattle sideline, leaving San Francisco without its No. 2 linebacker.
The notoriously fiery Greenlaw was initially called for a personal foul penalty for a late hit on Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold, who already had two feet out of bounds. But he didn’t stop there.
Greenlaw’s pursuit left him surrounded by Seattle players, including linebacker Ernest Jones IV. A helmet-less Jones appeared to briefly grab Greenlaw’s facemask, and he responded by head-butting Jones’ unprotected skull, prompting a brief scuffle and leading to Greenlaw’s ejection.
Playing against his former team last week, Greenlaw channeled his energy to lead the 49ers with 12 tackles in their win over the Denver Broncos. The performance included some extracurriculars, notably jawing with Denver coach Sean Payton, but it didn’t result in any penalties.
This time around, Greenlaw failed to find a positive outlet for his energy, and it hurt the 49ers.
Luke Gifford entered in place of Greenlaw, whose penalty helped put Seattle in position for a field goal to cut the 49ers’ advantage to 14-13 shortly before halftime. The Niners were able to get a defensive score before the half to extend their lead to 21-13
It was the fourth penalty on San Francisco for 34 total yards. The 49ers entered the game as one of the least penalized teams in the NFL, with only 28 for 223 total yards through four games.