Kyle Shanahan disagrees with Jeff Wilson fumble call in 49ers’ loss to Seahawks

The San Francisco 49ers committed a lot of mistakes during their Week 13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, falling to 2-10 after their embarrassing 43-16 defeat at CenturyLink Field.

And while the Niners lost three turnovers during the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan didn't feel one of them should have been called the way it was.

At the 9:47 mark of the second quarter and with the 49ers in the red zone, running back Jeff Wilson was able to carry the ball all the way to the Seahawks' 5-yard line. While he was going down, Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner ripped the ball loose, and the call on the field ruled the play as a fumble with Seattle recovering.

To the casual viewer, it looked as if Wilson was down. Just take a look, as Wilson's backside hits the turf before the ball apparently comes loose:


NFL rules state that, if it appears both an offensive and defensive player have possession of the ball, the "tie" goes to the offensive player. Since there didn't appear to be enough evidence to overturn the on-field call, however, the play stood as called.

"I definitely believe he didn't fumble it," Shanahan said of Wilson after the game. "When it is a tie, the tie goes to the offense. [The officials] sit and talk about it for a while and decide to call it a fumble so it always goes to replay, and I think the replay showed it.

"But it's got to be 100 percent when it's ever like that. So if it's not 100 percent, despite what everyone knows what it was, you have to live with it."

Shanahan also pointed out the referees also mis-spotted the ball by placing it at the 15-yard line after an apparent return, although Wagner would have been down by contact at the 5-yard line after the ruled recovery.

It was a key moment in the game, as the Niners were trailing 13-0 but had a chance to cut the deficit to one score. The 49ers defense was able to force a punt on Seattle's ensuing possession, but the failure to capitalize on the scoring opportunity was one of many San Francisco gaffes that ultimately led to the team's blowout.

"That was tough," quarterback Nick Mullens said. "I guess you could have pinpointed that as an important part of the game. ...If you commit those, you've got to overcome it. And we didn't do a good job of that today."

Despite the fumble, Wilson still had himself a great game in place of fellow running back Matt Breida, who was limited in production due to a re-aggravated ankle injury. Wilson finished with 61 yards on 15 carries, while adding 73 yards on eight catches through the air.

Wilson should still see increased action over the rest of 2018 with Breida hurt and the Niners apparently phasing out veteran tailback Alfred Morris.

• Written by:
  Peter Panacy
  Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
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