Trey Sermon's first NFL carry came at great consequence, as he fumbled the ball and was ruled out for the remainder of his NFL debut with a concussion. The fumble was overturned, however, after a targeting penalty was issued on Philadelphia Eagles safety K'Von Wallace, keeping the 49ers' drive alive.
Wallace was not happy with the call, as he expressed his opinion through an Instagram story.
Sermon's head ducked down after taking the initial hit which made it difficult for Wallace to avoid making contact with the running back's helmet.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
The penalty on Wallace gave the 49ers new life on the drive, and Robbie Gould eventually connected on a 46-yard field goal that pushed the lead out to 17-3 with just over five minutes left in the game.
RELATED: Deebo shares why he was briefly down on field in 49ers' win
Had the Eagles gotten the ball back, they could have had more time to launch their comeback effort.
Regardless, NFL games never are won or lost on a single play. The Eagles' offense didn't score a touchdown until the fourth quarter, as the 49ers' defensive line showed up in a big way Sunday.
San Francisco 49ers
Find the latest San Francisco 49ers news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
Sermon took what appeared to be a forearm shiver to the head on the play before being hit by Wallace, and given the 49ers' injury troubles at running back, they'll be hoping Sermon can get out of concussion protocol soon.