Quite a few of the viewers who were watching Sunday's 49ers win over the Atlanta Falcons showed frustration over a roughing the passer call that was made on 49ers defensive end Arden Key, and it's doubtful the 49ers liked it much either -- even if they seem to understand why the call was made.
The call took place on a third down play during the lone touchdown drive of the game for the Falcons. Key seemed to have a sack on Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan but was called for roughing the passer, despite not doing much incorrectly besides landing on Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan in a way that doesn't jibe with league rules.
Roughing how?? pic.twitter.com/m1D73ZW39H
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) December 19, 2021
Key didn't speak to reporters after the game, but 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan did offer some thoughts on the call when asked by reporters. Shanahan stopped short of being outright critical of the call but suggested that he wanted to know more from the NFL about what exactly Key did wrong on the play.
"You're not allowed to land on the quarterbacks in a certain way," Shanahan said. "I'm not exactly sure; that's what I'm going to check with the league. I feel like you're a little different when you hit them from behind and stuff and they're going forward. You don't totally always know if they're still a passer running forward to move the chains on third down. He had one earlier this year that he's got to avoid. I thought that one was tough though."
49ers defensive end Nick Bosa told reporters he didn't see what happened and, like Shanahan, didn't have anything too negative to say about the call.
"I didn't see it, but you just can't land on them. Ever. Took one away from the D-Line, but we'll make it up," Bosa said.
Shanahan was also asked about how Bosa and Key were seen raising their arms after quarterback hits in a way that lets officials know they weren't trying to hurt the quarterback. He said the players weren't instructed to do that but were clearly trying to be careful about not getting hit with any penalties.
"They're concerned about it," Shanahan said. "They all are. It's a tough job to get to the quarterback. It's tough when you get there to not get a penalty, so it's something we talk about all the time, stuff we show tape on and it's a challenge to do it."
On the plus side, Key did have a sack that counted in the game and has been coming on as of late as a pass rushing presence for the 49ers. Once a highly-touted pass rusher in college at LSU, Key only totaled three sacks over his first three NFL seasons with the Raiders but seems to be blossoming in his first season with the 49ers. Key now has five sacks on the year, all of them coming over the second half of the season, and was a big part of a productive pass rush in the 31-13 win over the Falcons on Sunday.
"I want to say he's gotten an inside sack, like six games in a row or something," Shanahan said. "I don't know if that's right at all, but it feels like that. I do think it was both sides though, as far as both groups. There was a lot of times I looked up and I thought our rush was really good. If you give Matt Ryan a hitch, usually he gets a completion. There was a couple times in the game where I thought he got about three hitches. And our coverages were pretty tight, which allows us to do it when you have seven guys in coverage. Then the D-line eventually got there and made some big plays. I thought it went hand in hand with both. I thought the defense did a hell of a job in that way. Especially going against a good quarterback like that."