Kyle Shanahan doesn't hide his feelings about controversial calls in 49ers' loss to Browns
Kyle Shanahan accepted his San Francisco 49ers team made too many mistakes as they suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the Cleveland Browns, but he also clearly felt the officials were guilty of game-changing errors. San Francisco slipped to 5-1 as rookie kicker Jake Moody missed a would-be go-ahead field […]
Kyle Shanahan accepted his San Francisco 49ers team made too many mistakes as they suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the Cleveland Browns, but he also clearly felt the officials were guilty of game-changing errors.
San Francisco slipped to 5-1 as rookie kicker Jake Moody missed a would-be go-ahead field goal with eight seconds remaining from 41 yards, condemning the Niners to a 19-17 defeat.
Moody might not have been in that position had San Francisco played a cleaner game, and a couple of huge contentious officiating calls also contributed to the game coming down to a kick.
The most significant was a roughing call on safety Tashaun Gipson, who was deemed to have made forcible contact to the head of receiver Elijah Moore on an incomplete pass on third down from the Cleveland 26-yard line.
Despite replays suggesting the contact was to the shoulder, the Browns were given a fresh set of downs and subsequently drove down for what proved to be the decisive field goal.
Asked about that call, Shanahan told his post-game press conference: "My view was his intent wasn't at all to do that, it looked like the receiver was coming in there, he was jumping too and it looked like they touched helmets from where I was. I don't have much of an opinion, it didn't look that violent. I'll see when I watch the film."
The game might not have been so close if not for another controversial decision with 47 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
P.J. Walker lost the ball under heavy pressure from the 49ers, with Nick Bosa making a recovery that would have put San Francisco in the red zone. Had the play been allowed to run its course, he would likely have returned it for a touchdown.
But the officials blew the play dead and ruled Walker had attempted a pass, instead flagging the quarterback for intentional grounding.
The subsequent punt put the 49ers on their own five-yard line, forcing them to kneel out the first half.
Again replays suggested the call was at best dubious, the ball appearing to slip out of the fingers of Walker.
"I thought it was a fumble," said Shanahan. "I thought he underhand threw it and I thought it came loose on his two thumbs and that's why he just pushed it. It came out very unnaturally for a pass, because I thought the ball was loose before he did it."
Aside from Moody's missed kick, unforced errors and injuries to stars Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel were the main contributing factors to San Francisco's upset loss, but the major calls that did not go in their favor and could have prevented the game from coming down to a last-gasp field goal will make the defeat sting that much more.
49ers’ Trent Williams in walking boot after loss to Browns
Not a sight anyone wants to see.
