DRE GREENLAW IS A WRECKING BALL — AND SOMETIMES HE WRECKS HIS OWN TEAM!

San Francisco went into Seattle, ejected one of their best players in the second quarter, and still won 32-29 to go 5-0. They're that good. But Dre Greenlaw's combustibility is becoming a genuine problem — and next week's game could be the one where it actually costs them.

Here's exactly what happened: In the second quarter, Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold rushed for five yards and stepped out of bounds on his own sideline. Greenlaw came in and was flagged for a late hit. Several Seahawks players then entered the scene, with Greenlaw and Seattle linebacker Ernest Jones IV having words before the Niners star connected with a helmet-less Jones.

Greenlaw, 29, earned his third career ejection after headbutting helmet-less Seattle linebacker Ernest Jones in the face after being assessed a personal-foul penalty. After drilling Darnold, Greenlaw was surrounded by Seahawks around their bench. After exchanging words with Jones, he headbutted Jones in the face with his facemask.

"That's a little vicious," said CBS analyst Tom Brady. "That's totally uncalled for."

The ejection was directed by the league's Art McNally GameDay Central office in New York — using a new 2026 rule allowing the league office to review and direct ejections for non-football acts even when on-field officials don't immediately flag them. Greenlaw was ejected for headbutting Seahawks LB Ernest Jones IV under this new rule. The NFL saw the replay and told officials to disqualify him.

This wasn't a borderline call. It was a headbutt. With a facemask. On a helmetless player. On the opposing team's sideline. In a divisional game with NFC West first place on the line.

Kyle Shanahan didn't sugarcoat it. "No, not at all," Shanahan said when asked if he disagreed with the ejection. "I didn't totally see it. I was told, but that's how it is. You're going to get baited big time, especially when you're on their bench. They're going to get close. And they told me that he headbutted a guy without a helmet. So, if that's exactly what happened, then yeah, we've got to be a lot smarter than that. Can't do that."

Fred Warner, Greenlaw's teammate and close friend, saw what happened. "Of course, they're trying to gang up on him, and good on them for baiting him into doing something. But we know we've got to be smart in all those situations, and I thought Dre tried for the most part, but it's just an unfortunate situation."

"Good on them for baiting him." Fred Warner just handed Seattle's defense coordinator a blueprint for the rest of the season.

Greenlaw received a one-game suspension last season for making contact with an official. Officials had also ejected him twice in previous games. He was fined nearly $12,000 just the day before the Seahawks game — on Saturday, October 10 — for unsportsmanlike conduct stemming from yelling at the Denver Broncos' sideline the previous week.

This is a pattern. A brilliant, passionate player who keeps getting himself thrown out of games. The 49ers remained undefeated at 5-0 after the 32-29 win — so the damage was contained. After Greenlaw was escorted to the locker room, Fred Warner, rookie Jaden Dugger, and Luke Gifford held it down at linebacker. Rookie Dugger stepped up big — registering nine total tackles and a sack in Greenlaw's absence.

But a suspension next week against the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football? That's a different kind of test. Questions remain about whether the NFL will discipline Greenlaw further, including a possible suspension.

The fire that makes Dre Greenlaw great is the same fire that could burn the 49ers' perfect season to the ground. How long until Kyle Shanahan has to have the real conversation?

💬 WTF QUESTION FOR 49ERS FANS: The Niners won anyway and Greenlaw was fired up afterward — but this is his third career ejection and he was fined the day before. Is Dre Greenlaw's edge an asset the 49ers can manage, or is he a ticking time bomb in an otherwise pristine 5-0 season? Drop your take.