With roughing call, seems like old times for 49ers
Ahmad Brooks’ 2013 strip sack of Drew Brees that was erased by a roughing the pass er penalty still hasn’t been erased in the minds of many 49ers fans.
Images of that play were brought to the fore Sunday when Kentavius Street was flagged on a similar potentially gamechanging play during San Francisco’s 2713 loss at New Orleans.
With the 49ers nursing a 103 lead midway through the second quarter, Street beat Cesar Ruiz and sacked Brees to force a 3rdand18. Despite appearing to try to roll to the left to avoid driving his body weight into Brees, Street was called for a roughing the pass er penalty that gave New Orleans a first down at the 49ers’ 11yard line.
Three plays later, the Saints tied it. Five and half minutes after that, they took a lead that they did not relinquish.
“It’s very frustrating, especially with the 49ers’ faithful had seen this play before,” said Donte Whitner, who was a safety on the 49ers’ 2013 team and is now an analyst for NBC Sports Bay Area. “It’s a momentumshifter. You cannot make that call in a football game to continue these drives and allow them to get into the end zone. It was a huge, huge momentum play in the game and potentially why the 49ers lost.”
In that 2013 game, Brooks sacked Brees and forced a fumble that Patrick Willis recovered to possibly seal a victory. Instead, the penalty allowed the Saints to retain possession and kick a gametying field goal. New Orleans wound up winning 2320.
In that season, the 49ers responded with six straight victories to close the regular season and advanced to the NFC title game. Although a similar run isn’t likely with the injuryplagued 49ers this season, the Street penalty was impactful.
The Fox broadcast team roundly ridiculed the officials’ call and was still talking about it when Alvin Kamara’s third touchdown put New Orleans ahead 2710 in the fourth quarter. So were Street’s teammates.
Out with injuries, Richard Sherman, Jaquiski Tartt and Solomon Thomas all mocked the call on social media.
“No sense at all,” Sherman posted on Twitter. “There is literally nothing he can do. He’s getting pushed in the back and still tries to go off to the side.”
Thomas posted: “That’s an embarrassing call by the official. Can’t believe that. Hard enough to land on the side, and that’s exactly what he did.”
Head coach Kyle Shanahan instead blamed the 49ers’ loss on turnovers that included two on special teams that gave the Saints the ball inside the 25yard line. Shanahan downplayed the questionable call.
“That’s just how he saw it,” Shanahan said. “He said he thought he saw it and got some agreement from the refs around him. That’s what they went with.”
Street didn’t make contact with his helmet and wrapped Brees’ shoulders before landing as he rolled to his left.
Brees, who has been bothered by a right shoulder injury, got up slowly and didn’t play in the second half because of what the Saints deemed a rib injury.
“Man, I think they’ve got to let us play ball,” defensive lineman Kerry Hyder Jr. said. “Street did a great of falling on the side, and I think it was just one of those calls. I don’t think that call has to be made.
“At this point, I think the whole league in general is just trying to protect the quarterbacks and protect players, so I think it’s something that is embedded in us. You have to try to be really aggressive, and then, try to slide off at the end.”