The San Francisco 49ers arrived in Cleveland, looking to improve to 6-0 on the year with a win over the Browns. Ahead of the game, the two teams got into a scuffle, with Deebo Samuel, Juan Thornhill, Elijah Moore, Brandon Aiyuk, and Trent Williams in the center of it. As if things weren't heated enough, there was a controversial play at the expense of the 49ers.
Late in the second quarter, the 49ers looked to have sacked Cleveland quarterback P.J. Walker, and the football got loose. San Francisco edge rusher Nick Bosa recovered the football, seemingly setting up the team in the red zone. However, the play was ruled dead, as the on-field officials said Walker had thrown an incomplete pass.
Judge this call for yourselves with this video footage. Even FOX commentators Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen were skeptical of the referee's decision.
Apparent fumble by Browns QB P.J. Walker ruled intentional grounding vs. 49ers
Despite the controversy from the on-field officials, there was a review of the play. And the replay official determined that Walker did throw the football, and it was not a fumble. But Walker was penalized for intentional grounding, giving Cleveland a 10-yard loss and setting up a second-and-20.
Let's take a look at some of the social media reactions on that call.
Luckily for the 49ers, Walker and the Browns offense couldn't do anything for the remainder of that drive. Cleveland gained just eight yards on the next three plays before punting the ball to end the half. The 49ers entered halftime with a 10-7 lead.
The 49ers dealt with some significant injuries in this game. Williams, the team's star offensive tackle, suffered an ankle injury and was deemed questionable to return. Samuel, meanwhile, picked up a shoulder injury in the first half and was ruled out for the rest of the game.
Walker got his first career start with Cleveland on Sunday due to starter Deshaun Watson dealing with a rotator cuff contusion.
Is it really an NFL Sunday if there isn't a controversial call for fans to yell about? Well, the officiating crew in Cleveland provided just that.