Davis: Rams safety 'wouldn't let go'

— -- San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis claims that St. Louis Rams safety T.J. McDonald went below the belt to make a tackle Sunday and wouldn't let go.

"I'm still thinking about it. I can feel it," Davis said after the 49ers' 23-13 victory, according to the team's website. "It was a crossing route. I made the play, and as soon as I got my hands on the ball, [McDonald] was grabbing me right there in that space, that area, and I kept telling him, 'Let go, get off me, get off me,' and he wouldn't let me go."

Davis also tweeted about the third-quarter play Monday, saying "it should be a league rule saying that a defender can not tackle a player by his penis," calling it "the most painful thing ever!"

A protective cup may have helped Davis on Sunday, but apparently an overwhelming majority of NFL players don't use one.

In a story published last December, The New York Times reported cups were rarely used at the highest levels of the sport. Several players interviewed reportedly cited the restrictive feeling that is associated with trying to run while wearing a cup.

The tackle came in a game in which Davis displayed his athleticism with a new move, and did so not once but twice: a high hurdle over defenders.

He led with his right foot while leaping over safety Rodney McLeod in the first half, then again to reach the end zone on his team-leading 10th touchdown catch on a 17-yard scoring play in the fourth quarter.

"It's just instincts," Davis said. "I said, 'Look, I won't be denied.'"

Davis' 50th career touchdown catch moved him into fourth place in franchise history, behind Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (176), Terrell Owens (81) and Gene Washington (59).

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.