The San Francisco 49ers got away with pass interference at a key moment in their win over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday.
The Seahawks were trailing 24-10 late in the fourth quarter and had 2nd-and-goal from the 7. Geno Smith threw a pass in the end zone to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Niners defensive back Ambry Thomas yanked Smith-Njigba’s arm as the wide receiver was trying to run his route. There was no flag.
So pulling on a receivers arm isn’t pass interference? #SFvsSEA pic.twitter.com/m3F4bGGehz
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) November 24, 2023
That was clear pass interference. The ball should have been placed at the 1-yard line with an automatic first down. Instead, Smith was sacked on 3rd-and-goal. Seattle settled for a field goal to cut the lead to 24-13.
The Seahawks went on to lose 31-13. Things could have gotten a lot more interesting if they scored a touchdown on the aforementioned drive to make it a one-score game.
Seattle was outmatched from the start and probably would have lost anyway, but Pete Caroll has every right to be upset about that missed call.
