Ambry Thomas appeared to have scored a wild touchdown during the San Francisco 49ers‘ game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but none of his teammates or coaches seemed to notice.
A penalty ultimately negated Thomas’ fumble return touchdown in San Francisco’s eventual blowout win.
Ambry Thomas’ Scoop-and-Score Negated
Thomas ripped the ball out of Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk’s hands at the San Francisco 8-yard line and went down to the ground as teammate Talanoa Hufanga pushed him to the ground.
Ambry Thomas rips the ball out 💪
📺: #SFvsJAX on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/kECSNGc6Bj pic.twitter.com/Nw7uBuADec— NFL (@NFL) November 12, 2023
Thomas then smartly got up and began to return the fumble as he had not been downed by an opposing player, returning it 92 yards for a TD.
The score was ultimately negated by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the 49ers as multiple San Francisco players and coaches ran onto the field to celebrate, thinking the play was over.
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San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan was among those to take the field prematurely.
“We know the rule,” Shanahan told reporters after the game. “We know you can’t go on the field. I personally thought the play was over. It was a good learning experience for our team.”
Shanahan gonna send himself to the booth for this pic.twitter.com/586kMm8Qac
— Guy Haberman (@GuyHaberman) November 12, 2023
The sideline’s lack of situational awareness ultimately cost San Francisco a touchdown on the play, though the offense scored a few minutes later in the blowout victory.
The play ultimately did not cost the 49ers much as they rolled to a 34-3 victory over the Jaguars. San Francisco was already up 20-3 at the time of the play and drove down the field for another touchdown on its ensuing drive, then scored again on their next possession to set the final margin.
Still, the mental lapse drew plenty of ire from analysts and fans alike.
Situational awareness by those #49ers players and coaches coming onto the field while Ambry Thomas is trying to return his recovered fumble…
Bad. #SFvsJAX pic.twitter.com/uMJppsDj1s
— Niner Noise (@SFNinerNoise) November 12, 2023
One 49ers fan commented that Thomas “got robbed of a touchdown.”
Another described San Francisco’s penalty on the play as “undisciplined.”
Ultimately, the 49ers came away with a much-needed win over the Jaguars to right the ship from a three-game losing streak. After getting out to an impressive 5-0 start, they had quickly plummeted down the standings after losing close games to the Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings, and Cincinnati Bengals.
San Francisco will look to build on the momentum from that key victory heading into next week’s clash with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which snapped a skid of their own Sunday in defeating the Tennessee Titans after losing four straight.
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