Overview

• On NBC, rules analyst Terry McCauley said No. 75 Connor Colby pulled Christian McCaffrey into the end zone on his final touchdown and that it should have been flagged.
• The foul is a 10-yard “helping the runner” penalty that would have taken the touchdown off the board as the 49ers turned a 13-10 edge into a 20-10 lead with under three minutes left.
• Commentators and outlets argued the missed call likely altered Atlanta’s late-game calculus by increasing the chance San Francisco would have been held to a field goal.
• Pulling a ball carrier has been illegal since 2005, pushing is legal since 2006, and multiple reports note the pulling ban is rarely enforced in practice.
• The result stands with no reported NFL action or review, while social media voices such as PFF’s Sam Monson criticized officials for allowing the play to go unpenalized.