San Francisco 49ers

Flurry of penalties leaves 49ers steaming over officiating

Published Nov. 30, 2015 2:52 a.m. ET

foxsports

The San Francisco 49ers were flustered after getting whistled for 13 penalties in Sunday's narrow loss to the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals.

The players were not shy about verbalizing their feelings, particularly center Alex Boone. “I’m really not too worried about getting fined,” Boone said. “I thought those refs sucked."

One penalty that drew the ire of the 49ers was an unsportsmanlike conduct call on Arizona's game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter, when a line judge was tripped up when he ran into Torrey Smith on San Francisco's sideline.

#49ers Eric Reid: "It's not my character to blame refs, but, man, there were some questionable calls"
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) November 30, 2015

“You call running into a player when nobody even touched you?" Boone said. “This is supposed to be a man’s game. Be a man. ... Whatever. It was a terrible call. They had terrible calls all game. I don’t care what the league says. I don’t care what (NFL Commissioner Roger (Goodell) says. It’s the truth."

Quinton Dial disputed a roughing-the-passing penalty on Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer, a call which Palmer and Arizona coach Bruce Arians each said was justified.

San Francisco coach Jim Tomsula declined to comment on the officiating while 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman said he did not have much of an issue, but veteran wide receiver Anquan Boldin also chided the refereeing.

“I mean, felt like we were playing two teams today," Boldin said. "I thought it was ridiculous all day. If you’re going to call the game that way, call it both ways. Don’t let it just be so lopsided where it’s blatant.”