by: Brian Jones 31 minutes ago brianjones_93
NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay called out officials during the Sunday Night Football game between the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers. After 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, McAulay said the officials should have called a penalty on the 49ers since McCaffrey was pulled into the end zone.
“It’s illegal to lift or pull the runner in any direction,” Terry McAulay said on the broadcast. “No. 75 clearly grabs him and pulls him in the end zone. This should have been a foul for helping the runner, 10-yard penalty from the spot of the foul.”
Some day, some official will throw a flag for a foul for pulling the runner which has not been called in almost 35 years. Today could have been that day, but it was notpic.twitter.com/Hrs7zLFZDK
— Fᴏᴏᴛʙᴀʟʟ Zᴇʙʀᴀs (@footballzebras) October 20, 2025
The touchdown gave the 49ers the 20-10 lead over the Falcons, and that would be the final score. Had the officials called a penalty on the play, the Falcons could have gotten a stop, and the outcome of the game could have been different.
But with the way McCaffrey was playing on Sunday night, he would have likely scored anyway. The 49ers running back finished the game with 129 rushing yards, 72 receiving yards, and two touchdowns to help the team improve its record to 5-2. The Falcons, who have won the last two games entering Sunday’s matchup, fall to 3-3.