The NFL just dropped a $6,998 fine on 49ers safety Malik Mustapha for his hit on Jaxon Smith-Njigba on our final drive against the Niners. Yeah, *that* hit. The one everyone in the Emerald City saw, but the refs on the field completely missed. This isn’t just a slap on the wrist, it’s a public admission the officials totally blew a call that could’ve changed the game’s ending.
The Missed Call That Had Us Screaming
Remember it? 1st and 10 at midfield. JSN got absolutely rocked by Mustapha, a hit on a defenseless player plain as day. Our guy was clearly shaken up after that hit. And what did we get from the refs? Crickets. Zero flags. Nothing. Just two plays later, Sam Darnold launched a long ball that JSN couldn’t haul in, and we were left wondering what could’ve been. It was agonizing to watch, and even more so to relive knowing what we know now.
A Pricy Admission That Stings
Turns out, we weren’t crazy. The NFL’s fine for a “hit on the defenseless player” violation is as close as you get to a public apology, a straight-up admission that the officials completely blew it. If that flag had actually flown, our Hawks would’ve been sitting pretty at the 49ers 35-yard line, squarely in game-tying field goal range. Think about that for a second. Our chance to tie it up, to force overtime against a rival, just gone because of a missed call. Now, look, nobody’s saying it was an automatic win or even forced OT. Our offense was a sack or turnover waiting to happen all afternoon against the Niners, we all saw it. But that specific play, that specific missed call? The NFL themselves are saying it likely would’ve changed how that game ended. No doubt about it. It was a massive miss by the officials, and there’s no way around it when the league itself steps in.
Interestingly, nobody else from that game got dinged with a fine. There was even a moment when it looked like Elijah Arroyo might get in trouble for a personal foul after he punched at Renardo Green following Sam Darnold’s second interception. But turns out, closer inspection showed Arroyo was clearly trying to punch the ball out as Green was going down, so no extra penalty there.
It’s just more salt in the wound for us 12s, especially coming just two days after that agonizing overtime loss to the Denver Broncos. We’re already hurting, and now we know we got robbed of a real shot against the Niners. That one stings.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Field Gulls.
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