NFL Refs Clear Stance on Egregious Mistake That Upset Kyle Shanahan in 49ers Loss

Look, some losses are simple. You get outplayed. The other guys are cooking, and you’re not. It happens. But the San Francisco 49ers’  loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars? That wasn’t simple. It was bizarre, crystallized in a single, maddening moment of sideline chaos where a simple “no” somehow got lost in translation. A moment that ended with the refs reportedly apologizing to Kyle Shanahan..

Here’s the rub. Midway through the second quarter, the Jaguars were backed up, facing a 2nd & 12, thanks to a holding call. On the next play, another yellow flag—another hold. For Shanahan, the math was easy. Decline the second penalty. Make it 3rd & 12. A gettable down, sure, but a third down. Instead, in a baffling sequence, the refs accepted the penalty, pushing Jacksonville back to a 2nd & 17. Shanahan, visibly incensed, burned a timeout.

The reason for his fury became clear when 49ers & NFL News tweeted that the refs had apologized to Shanahan for their “mess up,” confirming he “wanted to decline to make it 3rd down and the refs messed up!” Great. But an apology doesn’t get you the ball back. It was a perfectly strange moment in a game defined by them.

The refs apologized to #49ers HC Kyle Shanahan for their mess up accepting the 2nd down penalty instead of making it a 3rd down.

Shanahan wanted to decline to make it 3rd down and the refs messed up !

— 49ers & NFL News 24/7 (@49ersSportsTalk) September 28, 2025

The post NFL Refs Clear Stance on Egregious Mistake That Upset Kyle Shanahan in 49ers Loss appeared first on EssentiallySports.