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The Niner Faithful were understandably upset by a late-game penalty called against San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Trent Taylor during Thursday's 41-39 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
While Taylor had three catches for 32 yards, it was a catch negated by the officials that has gained the most attention. Within the final two minutes of the game, Taylor made what appeared to be a crucial catch, but was called for offensive pass interference.
Below is the play from quarterback Brian Hoyer to Taylor, courtesy of Rob Lowder of
Niners Wire.
The reception would have given the 49ers a first down at the Rams' 39-yard line during what could have been a game-winning drive. Two plays later, on fourth-and-20, Hoyer was sacked by Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald and the 49ers' comeback attempt was over.
On Wednesday morning, Taylor
joined the "Murph & Mac" show on
KNBR and briefly shared his thoughts on the critical penalty.
"It was a hard one to take," Taylor said. "All that was being said to me in the locker room was, 'Don't mention anything about the refs in the interview.' I mean, I was told that 10 times, at least, because I knew those questions were coming and everybody knew those questions were coming. It was just an unfortunate event and something you've got to learn from, I guess. That's all I can say about it."
You can listen to the entire interview with Taylor below.
Former vice president of officiating Mike Pereira wasn't a fan of the call either.
In an article written for the Sacramento Bee, Pereira shared the following thoughts regarding the penalty against Taylor.
"This is the type of play that I used to really not like when I ran the officiating program in the NFL. Why? Because it's a huge call, and I can't really prove whether the official is right or wrong. It's certainly, based on the shot that you got on television, suspect at best. The only replay that was shown was from the middle of the field, looking through the back of the defender, and it's inconclusive. It's surprising to me that there were no other angles that the network was able to show to at least give us a better look."
The TV broadcast showed me two indicators. For one, Taylor, after he caught the pass, actually just got up and went back to the huddle and didn't complain. He didn't complain until the next day, in the media. And secondly, the defender, when he was at the sideline, immediately came up and gave the signal as if he had gotten pushed at the top of the route. But those are just indicators. It doesn't prove whether it happened or not."
Pereira went on to say that the All-22 video released by the league didn't reveal more about the play. All-22 video is shot from a high angle to give a view of all 22 players on the field and the officials. Given that the penalty was declared offensive pass interference, it would be tough to prove that the official was right or wrong, according to Pereira.
Our own Al Sacco and Zain Naqvi shared their thoughts on the call during the
latest "No Huddle" podcast episode.
"It frustrates me as a fan that I have to sit and watch these guys play hard for 60 minutes and then a ref decides to call a questionable pass interference call and there's the game – just like that," said Sacco.
"I guess they said he extended his arm to push off," Sacco continued. "It just looked, to me, like he ran his route. And even if he did extend his arm, it was such a little bit. It was a ticky-tack call ... I mean, if somebody gets ripped down and it's pass interference, great. You've got to call it. But if it's questionable, if it can go either way and the game's on the line, to me, you don't call that. You let the players play the game. You let the players determine the outcome."
Naqvi had a very different opinion. He didn't argue that the call was incorrect, but that the 49ers had multiple opportunities earlier in the game to ensure that a bad call at the end would not be the determining factor.
"The very first play of the game, Brian Hoyer threw a pick and that basically gave the Rams seven points," Naqvi said. "Then, later on in the game, when the 49ers scored, I believe, when they got it to within 10, Robbie Gould misses the extra point. To me, that is actually what determined the outcome of the game because if he makes that extra point, the next 49ers touchdown, all they have to do is kick an extra point and they go into overtime. They don't have to go for that next two-point conversion."
You can listen to all of Sacco and Naqvi's thoughts on the 49ers' Week 3 performance below.
All offseason, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan expressed confidence in fourth-year defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw despite the team not exercising the player's fifth-year option. It was certainly more confidence than fans had in the former first-round draft pick.
Kinlaw had missed 24 games over the past two seasons. He underwent reconstructive knee surgery in 2021. A setback last season forced Kinlaw to miss 11 games. Fans were ready to label the defensive lineman a "bust." Some already had.
The defensive lineman just could not stay on the football field.
Kinlaw is finally healthy, though, and making his presence known. The defensive tackle is on pace for his best Pro Football Focus grade after an unimpressive first three NFL seasons.
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch joined KNBR on Friday morning for his weekly radio interview. He was asked about the team's season opener this past weekend in Pittsburgh, a 30-7 win over the Steelers.
It seemed like a near-perfect outing for the Bay Area football team. Still, on Monday morning, head coach Kyle Shanahan was quick to point out the flaws in the rout of the Steelers to his squad.
"We were far from perfect," Lynch said on the "Murph and Mac" show. "I think one of the great things, to beat a good football team handily, and then go back and see that we're not even close to where we can be and where we need to be to play our best ball. That's an encouraging thing, and was real proud of our group.
"I thought Kyle and his staff
(Episode 270) - Al Sacco and Brian Renick recap the 49ers' thorough performance in a win over the Giants on Thursday Night Football, including Brock Purdy running this offense like a pro, the play of George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey, why Brandon Aiyuk is so important to how the offense flows and the masterful job the coaches are doing of making adjustments.
The audio for the show is embedded above. Don't forget to subscribe!
You can listen to the latest "No Huddle Podcast" episode above, from our dedicated podcast page, on
Those who watched Thursday night's game between the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants may want to know why no ejections took place after 49ers left tackle Trent Williams punched the face mask of Giants defensive lineman A'Shawn Robinson as the first half came to a close.
NFL Senior Vice President of Officiating Walt Anderson gave an explanation behind that decision after the game, while Williams played his punch off as a "love tap."
The incident took place towards the end of the first half of the 49ers' 30-12 win over the Giants, following a play where the 49ers downed the ball. Robinson can be seen giving Williams a poke in the chin, after which Williams swung and hit Robinson in the face