Q. What stands out to you about a game with the 49ers?
DK METCALF: It's a tough matchup always. They are in the my mind one of the biggest rivalry. This season it's our third time playing them so I know it's going to be hard to beat a team three times.
So you know I'm looking forward to the matchup. I know the defense is going to come ready. I know the offense is going to be ready and I know we are going to be ready. So I'm just looking forward to the matchup.
Q. You know how strong this team is on both sides of the ball, what is the familiarity having played the team twice?
DK METCALF: We know their personnel. We know their core plays but there's always some wrinkles they will try to throw at us to try to get off their then tendencies s. But at the end of the day, it's still going to be them versus us and they are still going to run their same plays and their same defenses and we just have to stop them and score more points than them this time around.
Q. Why do you think it will be hard to beat you guys a third time?
DK METCALF: I'm just saying in general it's hard to beat anybody three times. For us, it's the playoffs and stakes are higher this time. It's win-or-go-home so I think they are going to get our best shot for sure.
Q. When you use the word "rivalry" with the 49ers, does it get intense?
DK METCALF: I since my rookie year, it's been a tough matchup, even last year when they had a lot of injuries, it was still a tough matchup.
Q. What did you tell your teammates about the playoffs, especially the rookies?
DK METCALF: They really didn't ask me any questions. I'm kind of offended (Laughter).
Q. What did you tell them?
DK METCALF: No, I wouldn't tell me anything different. It's still going to be the same game. It's just this time if you lose you go home. So let's not be the team that goes home.
Q. What was Sunday night like?
DK METCALF: Sunday night was fun, especially seeing J-Mi get the final kick, and then seeing the Lions beat the Packers was fun. First time I think I've rooted for two different teams in the same day. It was a fun game to watch, especially the Lions win.
Q. What's Cade like in the receiver room?
DK METCALF: Cade is funny, I will say he's probably one of the most energetic guys on the team. He's always going to compete. Him, Penny Hart and D.J. Reed, I will kind of sum up in one group of always competing and not going to let anybody tell them that they can't do something, they are always going to do it their way and they are always nine times out of ten going to win.
I like having them out there on the field. Last week, two weeks ago against the Jets, he was caught in a bad position where he had to block a defensive end and he held his own against a defensive end. That's the type of player that he. Is he's going to fight his ass off every week.
Q. Was the offense excited when Nick got a carry?
DK METCALF: Yeah, the whole sideline -- I think it went for a first down. Yeah, any time Nick Bellore touches the ball, it's always a good time.
Q. Given the way the 49ers defense plays, can it force you to press on offense?
DK METCALF: No, I don't think you should ever press on offense, whether it be the 49ers or you're playing Pee-Wee, just go out there and just one your plays and do your own thing and at the end of the day, they still have to stop you on offense, not the other way around.
Q. Why do you think it's been a challenge to get the ball to you the last couple weeks of the season?
DK METCALF: Just the defense has not allowed it to. We have ran the ball very well the past couple weeks, and I know that's taken up a lot of plays on offense but as long as we're winning I'm not mad or anything because that's my whole purpose of being here is just to win.
Q. You mentioned not letting the defense stop you -- how important is it that the team not stops it receives, the turnovers, penalties, some of the things that happened in previous games.
DK METCALF: I think that's one thing that separates the regular season from the playoffs is mistakes and turnovers is not as apparent as in the regular season. A lot of teams don't make mistakes. A lot of teams don't turn the ball over and they just cherish every possession like I said, so that's all we have to do is cherish every time we have the ball and every play, we've got to run it like it's our last.
Q. No blond or blue on the hair this week?
DK METCALF: No, clean cut, ready to go.
Q. Is the enforced role something you think about -- going back to the game when the hit on Geno, and then you had a conversation with Ramsey, and I've seen you do that a couple times --
DK METCALF: I didn't hear the first part of the question.
Q. The enforcer role.
DK METCALF: I just call it standing up for my teammates. I seen it was a late hit out of bounds and I had a conversation with Jalen after it happened. Yeah, I'm just taking up for my teammates.
Q. First playoffs start -- how excited to see what he's going to bring?
DK METCALF: It's the first one of his career? No, it can't be. Let's get to it, I don't think it's going to make a difference.
Q. Over the course of the year what has he shown to you guys?
DK METCALF: I think last game summed everything up. I think it was like two plays in between each other where he broke the completions record. Then he broke the yardage record. So just the type of season that he's had, a record-breaking season for himself and for this organization, hopefully it's for years to come and hopefully he's going to be throwing the ball for some more years.
Q. What do you make of Gene finishing the year at basically 70 percent completion percentage and the kind of year he had?
DK METCALF: I mean, like I just said, it was record-breaking that he was that consistent for 17 straight games and he never blinked an eye or never wavered on us or his faith or technique or anything.
But you know, that's the type of person he is. He came to work every day. When things were not going right, he would talk us up and pick us up. He just slowly grew into a leader and somebody that we listen to on offense now.
Q. Does proving people wrong mean anything to you?
DK METCALF: I think last year I stopped focusing on that. Don't got anything to prove to anybody. Just prove yourself right and everything else fall into place.
Q. Is that what you did in the regular season?
DK METCALF: Proved ourselves right. We knew what we were doing and we were setting out to at least make the playoffs every year but every team's goal is to win the Super Bowl. We finished step one. Now just continue on this road to the Super Bowl.
DraftScripts by ASAP Sports ....
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports