The Seattle Seahawks appeared to move the chains inside the final minute of regulation against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The Seahawks were trying to at least move into field-goal range to tie the game.
But the side judge didn’t reward Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp with his full lunge along the sideline on fourth-and-10. The official saw Kupp go out-of-bounds before reaching the 49ers 40-yard line. As a result, the ball was short of the line to gain, and thus, the Seahawks turned the ball over on downs.
The play was reviewed but no replay definitively showed Kupp pick up the first down.
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald was asked about the play in his postgame press conference after the 49ers defeated the Seahawks 32-29. Macdonald kept his answer very short.
“I don’t know. They said he was short, so you’ve got to live with it,” said Macdonald.
FOX rules analyst Dean Blandino argued it looked like Kupp reached the first-down line. However, Blandino also said it wasn’t clear and obvious Kupp picked up the first down on replay. So, he agreed with the decision to stay with the call on the field.
The turnover on downs ended the game. The 49ers kneeled down twice to officially run out the clock.
Seahawks’ Mike Macdonald Addresses Controversial Call With Short Message
The decision to rule Kupp short was controversial because to some, it appeared he reached the first-down line. But no camera angle clearly presented that fact.
Kupp lunged toward the first down line while falling out of bounds. Per NFL rules, Kupp was out of bounds when he crossed over the imaginary plane that extends from the ground toward the sky. Any extension after Kupp crossed that imaginary line shouldn’t count, and based on the replay, it’s not clear when the Seahawks receiver crossed that line.
It was a situation where whatever the call was on the field was going to be the final ruling. Unfortunately for the Seahawks, the call on the field wasn’t the one they needed.
On Sunday night, multiple angles of the play circled social media with pundits and players discussing the official’s call of Kupp being short of the line to gain.
Seahawks fans watching the replay from the reverse angle might get most frustrated with the call. Because on that replay, the official who made the final ruling that he was short is visible in the shot, and that official might not have the best view to make the correct call. The official is also trying to avoid contact with a 49ers defender at the end of the play.
The ruling that official ultimately made was key because replay wasn’t going to overturn his call no matter what his ruling was.
Granted, to fully make the correct call, the official needed two views — one of Kupp going out of bounds and one down the line at the 40-yard line. Even replay didn’t have both of those.
For that reason, Macdonald’s short message rings true — the Seahawks just have to live with the ruling and move forward.
Seahawks’ Mike Macdonald Fires Brief Message on Controversial Final Call vs. 49ers