The 49ers did not even get a consolation prize Sunday for two hits on quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on the same costly play that coach Kyle Shanahan deemed illegal.
Garoppolo sustained a high ankle sprain when New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams made initial contact with Garoppolo at the back of his right lower leg.
After referee Ronald Torbert fumbled for his whistle, 266-pound edge rusher Tarell Basham hit Garoppolo approximately two-and-a-half seconds after he was dropped to his knee.
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“They hit him right in the calf or the Achilles, so that was low,” Shanahan said Monday on a video call with Bay Area reporters. “They didn’t call that.
“Then, they couldn’t blow the whistle because his.mask was on, and then he (Torbert) couldn’t get the mask off in time. So while Jimmy’s laying there, they can’t blow the whistle because the mask was on, a guy came and hit him again. So I thought there should’ve been two penalties on that play.”
Garoppolo was sacked on a third-and-8 play with 11 minutes left in the first quarter of the 49ers' eventual 31-13 win when Williams got around 49ers left guard Laken Tomlinson, who appeared to stumble on the surface at MetLife Stadium.
San Francisco 49ers
Williams went to the ground as Tomlinson attempted to shove him out of the play. Williams clipped the back of Garoppolo’s back leg to drop Garoppolo.
According to the NFL rulebook, a pass-rusher is prohibited from forcibly hitting the quarterback at or below the knee. However, it is not a penalty for roughing the passer if the defender is blocked into the passer and has no opportunity to avoid him.