Photo via Fox Sports

Why Cooper Kupp Was Ruled Short Of 1st-Down Marker In 49ers' Win vs. Seahawks

A razor-thin call on fourth down decided the San Francisco 49ers' 32-29 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. With under two minutes left, Seattle faced a fourth-and-10 at midfield after kicking a field goal to trail 29-32.

Cooper Kupp’s stretch drive along the sideline appeared to fall just short of the first-down marker, but officials ruled him inches away, denying Seattle a potential game-tying conversion. The play was reviewed from the booth, and the on-field ruling stood, forcing Seattle to punt and sealing San Francisco’s win on the final drive.

The call hinged on where Kupp’s ball crossed the sideline, not his body position, leaving even NFL analysts like Tom Brady and Dean Blandino questioning the margin. Brady called the angle from horizontal cameras “impossible” to judge, while Blandino noted the lack of a clear down-the-line view complicated the decision.

The 49ers capitalized by kneeling down to preserve their undefeated record.

Up nextNFL· 18m ago

Robert Griffin III is still teasing a potential return to the NFL