The Seattle Seahawks lost 29-32 to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, but it did not come without controversy.
With 54 seconds left and facing a 4th-and-10 from the 50, Cooper Kupp caught a pass from Sam Darnold. He then dove forward in an attempt to get a first down, but was ruled a yard short – a call that was upheld upon review to end the game.
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The call led to much blowback from fans, and former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman, who spent most of his career as a Seahawk, commiserated with them. He wrote on social media:
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“What a game! I think they got that last call wrong. Ref assumed he stepped out, but he didn’t. You can’t tell where the ball crossed the plane, but it looked like a first down. Wish they would have gotten that one right.”
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That decisive turnover on downs was an emblematic way to end what was arguably Darnold’s worst game of the season so far. He finished with 18 completions for 195 yards and a touchdown to Jaxon Smith-Njigba against two interceptions and was sacked five times.
The 49ers, meanwhile, got a decent performance from Brock Purdy, who went 19-of-29 for 189 yards and two touchdowns against an interception and three sacks taken. One of his scores went to Mike Evans, who also caught a lead-grabbing two-point conversion in the fourth quarter.
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Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald, Cooper Kupp react after WR fails to secure crucial 4Q first down vs. 49ers
After the game, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald was the first to take the stand. The topic of Cooper Kupp’s failed first-down leap attempt came up during his press conference, and he kept his response short but simple:
“I don’t know. They said he was short, so you’ve got to live with it.”
Meanwhile, Kupp concurred with the call against him, but also expressed frustration that the offense was finding itself in situations like this too often lately:
“One step forward and one step back. Can’t end up in second and long and third and long. We are finding ourselves in those situations too often.”
The Seahawks will now look to avoid falling to .500 when they visit the Denver Broncos this Thursday. Kickoff is at 5:15 p.m. PT on Amazon Prime Video.
Edited by Andre Castillo
