Getty Vikings coach Mike Zimmer complained about a lack of holding calls on Sunday, leading to 49ers tight end George Kittle clapping back in his postgame press conferece.
Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer took issue with the officiating in Sunday’s 34-26 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
In his postgame press conference, Zimmer called out the lack of holding penalties on the 49ers, who tallied 423 total yards of offense.
“These guys hold all the time,” Zimmer said. “They grab us around the waist, grabbing our backs. They don’t want to call it every play, but until they start calling it every play, they’re not going to stop doing it.”
49ers tight end George Kittle, prompted by reporters in his postgame press conference, responded to Zimmer’s complaint and took a personal jab at the Vikings.
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‘Tell Your Guys to Make Better Plays’
Kittle took the opportunity to call out disparities in his own right, saying that he was held several times and didn’t get the call his way.
“I mean, you can watch plenty of pass plays. I finally got a holding call out there on a pass route. I got hugged and tackled, and I think (there were) about three of those out there that don’t get called,” Kittle said.
“It’s football. Refs throw flags, refs don’t throw flags, it’s just the game. If you’re going to sit on the sideline and complain about holding the whole time, tell your guys to make better plays.”
#49ers George Kittle on Vikings coach Mike Zimmer accusations about them holding
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Zimmer Addresses Holding on Kittle
Later in his press conference, Zimmer was asked about the 49ers trick play that extended their game-tying drive to close the first half.
Jimmy Garoppolo threw a backward pass to receiver Jauan Jennings. Jennings, it appeared, was going to target Kittle on a crossing route, but Kittle got tangled in Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson, who was called for holding on the play — ultimately extending the 15-play scoring drive.
Zimmer claimed he didn’t see the play but “heard [Kittle] ran into Peterson.”
“I didn’t see it. I was watching other stuff… I better stop with the officials,” Zimmer said.
Star Tribune columnist Mark Craig weighed in on the play, placing fault on both Kittle and Peterson but ultimately siding with the officials:
Even if you replayed that Peterson-Kittle collision 100 times, both sides of that call/no-call debate could be argued 100 times.
Yes, Peterson prevents Kittle from releasing to the inside by putting his left arm on Kittle’s chest and his right arm on Kittle’s back. They are both shoving at that point when Kittle does essentially run through Peterson as they fall.
The viewpoint from this old-school guy, who hates the number of defensive penalties in today’s game, is it was a close call, but the right call. Others will disagree.
It was a crucial play that led to a tie entering the intermission and gave the 49ers all the momentum, swinging the score 21 points in under nine minutes of game time. The 49ers scored twice coming out of the half after capitalizing on Kirk Cousins‘ first interception thrown since Week 5.
It proved to be another case where the Vikings let a team back into the game approaching the intermission after starting strong in the first half.
The Vikings currently have a 50% chance of making the playoffs, per FiveThirtyEight.