The Seattle Seahawks‘ controversial Week 5 loss to the San Francisco 49ers has taken another turn, nearly a week after a disputed call ended their hopes of a comeback.
The NFL announced Saturday, October 17, that 49ers safety Malik Mustapha has been fined $6,998 for unnecessary roughness following a hit on Seahawks star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba during San Francisco’s 32-29 victory on October 11.
According to the league’s disciplinary report, Mustapha delivered a hit on a defenseless player with 1:13 remaining in the fourth quarter. No penalty flag was thrown.
The punishment adds another wrinkle to a frustrating final possession for Seattle, which saw Smith-Njigba briefly leave the game following the hit before Cooper Kupp was ruled short of a first down on the Seahawks’ final offensive play.
49ers’ Malik Mustapha Fined for Unflagged Hit on Jaxon Smith-Njigba
The circumstances surrounding Mustapha’s fine are particularly notable given how Seattle’s final offensive possession unfolded.
Mustapha delivered the hit as Smith-Njigba attempted to make a catch against cornerback Renardo Green.
The pass fell incomplete, and Smith-Njigba was slow to get up before briefly leaving the field.
Seattle was trailing 32-29 with the football at midfield, needing only a field goal to force overtime.
Smith-Njigba returned one play later but dropped a pass near the 25-yard line that could have given the Seahawks an opportunity to extend the drive.
While the sequence raised questions about the impact of Mustapha’s hit, there is no established evidence that the contact caused Smith-Njigba’s subsequent drop.
What the NFL has now confirmed is that the original hit warranted a financial penalty, despite officials allowing play to continue without throwing a flag.
Smith-Njigba had otherwise delivered another productive performance, finishing with 102 receiving yards and a touchdown against San Francisco.
Cooper Kupp Controversy Adds to Seahawks’ Frustrating Finish
The NFL’s punishment comes after Seattle’s final offensive play against the 49ers sparked its own officiating controversy.
Facing fourth-and-10, quarterback Sam Darnold connected with Cooper Kupp near the sideline. Kupp lunged toward the first-down marker, but officials ruled that he had stepped out of bounds before gaining the necessary yardage.
The ruling stood following a replay review, handing possession back to San Francisco and effectively ending Seattle’s comeback bid.
As Heavy previously reported, multiple replay angles fueled debate over whether Kupp had actually reached the first-down marker before going out of bounds.
The Seahawks’ official website later published an explanation from NFL vice president of instant replay Mark Butterworth regarding the decision.
Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald was brief when asked about the ruling after the game.
“They said he was short, so we’ve got to live with it,” Macdonald said.
Mustapha’s fine concerns a separate play and does not change the decision involving Kupp. Still, the two incidents highlight how much of Seattle’s final possession has remained under scrutiny since the game ended.
Seahawks Still Dealing With Fallout From Close Losses
The punishment arrives after another frustrating result for Seattle, which fell 17-14 in overtime to the Denver Broncos on Thursday, October 15.
That defeat dropped the defending Super Bowl champions to 3-3, with their three losses coming by a combined eight points.
The Seahawks have repeatedly found themselves within one possession of changing their fortunes, only to come away empty-handed.
The loss to San Francisco remains particularly consequential because it came against an NFC West rival that improved to 5-0 with the victory.
The NFL’s latest disciplinary announcement cannot give Seattle another opportunity to finish that final drive. It does, however, establish that one of the hits delivered against its leading receiver should have drawn league scrutiny.
And unlike the disputed fourth-down ruling on Kupp, the league has now issued an actual punishment for what happened to Smith-Njigba.
NFL Announces Punishment for 49ers Defender After Hit on Seahawks Star