49ers wide receiver Anquan Boldin expressed some disgust with the officiating in last Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals and anyone else who might feel that way isn’t likely to feel any better after hearing that linebacker Dan Skuta wasn’t fined after drawing a penalty for unnecessary roughness.
Skuta was flagged for hitting Cardinals quarterback Drew Stanton as Stanton was starting to slide at the end of a scramble in the second half of the game. Stanton wasn’t down to the ground when Skuta made contact, which made the call questionable at the time. Based on the lack of a fine, it seems that any 49ers complaints about that call were justified when Skuta said, via Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area, that he didn’t receive any further punishment from the league.
That play and one later in the same drive that saw linebacker Patrick Willis get flagged for the same foul on what looked like a pretty textbook hit on Stanton are good examples of why the league should be moving toward making more things reviewable. The Cardinals wound up with 30 yards that helped them toward the end zone and calls like that or spot fouls for defensive pass interference can have big enough impact on games that the league should want to get it right on the field however they can.
There’s no word yet on whether Willis was fined for the hit he delivered, but that outcome won’t change the fact that the 49ers committed far too many penalties that weren’t questionable while collapsing in the second half for the second straight week.
