The 49ers earned a commanding 31-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Thanksgiving Day at Lumen Field, further cementing their claim on the NFC West's top spot and inching closer to the conference's No. 1 seed.
But Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith believes the score could have been different had the refs made a critical third-quarter call against the 49ers.
With 4:06 remaining in the third, Smith's pass to Seattle wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba on second-and-goal fell incomplete in the end zone. But Smith is convinced the contact 49ers cornerback Ambry Thomas made with the wideout before the pass was thrown should have been called for defensive holding.
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"Yeah, there was contact," Smith told reporters after the game of the play, which could have turned the matchup into a one-score game had the ball been caught. Instead, Smith was sacked on the next play.
"I mean we saw it last week, with [Devon Witherspoon], right? How pivotal those calls or no-calls are. I'm not one to get on the refs -- I know they have a tough job," Smith continued. "I don't know if they did or did not see it, but from my vantage point I could clearly see [Smith-Njigba] getting held, and it affected him being able to catch a touchdown right there, and that affected us being able to get points. So that's a four-point swing, and in games like this, every point matters. Tough call, but hey, that's how it is sometimes."
Last week, Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon was called for a questionable pass interference penalty in Seattle's loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Now, Smith believes refs missed another pivotal call for a second consecutive week.
San Francisco 49ers
Smith told reporters he pleaded his case with officials during the game, but they "had no words" for him.
At the end of four quarters, San Francisco walked away from Lumen Field having dealt their longtime rival a crippling loss. And while there's always the possibility of "what ifs" with NFL officiating, the 49ers acted like a team that wasn't going home without eating a winner's turkey dinner in Seattle no matter the calls.
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