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Don’t blame the officials if you’re upset about 49ers’ Week 3 loss to Rams

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - SEPTEMBER 21: Raheem Mostert #31 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after a turnover by the Los Angeles Rams during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on September 21, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - SEPTEMBER 21: Raheem Mostert #31 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after a turnover by the Los Angeles Rams during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on September 21, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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Officiating played a big role in determining the San Francisco 49ers’ outcome on Thursday Night Football versus the Los Angeles Rams. While it’s easy to get mad at the referees for the frustrations, there are plenty of reasons to direct the upset elsewhere.

The San Francisco 49ers are 0-3 after falling 41-39 to the visiting Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football.

Yeah, the season has gotten off to a bad start, record-wise, and Thursday night’s game certainly had the feel of its officials influencing the eventual outcome.

Even I got in on the easy-to-do ref bashing:

Now that my head is a bit cooler, let’s look at why we shouldn’t entirely blame the officials for what happened in Week 3.

Yes, there were some bad calls. A lot of them. Remember tight end Garrett Celek literally carrying a Rams defender on his back in the end zone? No call.

And that offensive pass-interference call on wide receiver Trent Taylor towards the end of the game? Brutal.

Go ahead and get mad at the officiating if you want. But make sure you take in the entire context.

Bad calls can go both ways, and they sure did on Thursday night. For example, Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald was flagged for a late hit on quarterback Brian Hoyer at the Niners 25-yard line. It certainly benefited the 49ers, who ended up scoring a touchdown that drive.

But the late hit? Yeah, not exactly:

Officiating Hurt the 49ers, but…

The Niners lost Week 3, not because they were victims of poor refereeing, but because of too many self-inflicted wounds and mistakes.

And, at this point, the Rams are a better team.

Case in point, San Francisco put itself behind the proverbial “8-ball” on the first snap from scrimmage, with Hoyer tossing an interception that nearly went for a pick-six touchdown. Los Angeles scored on the following play.

Linebacker NaVorro Bowman missed three tackles, adding to the night Rams running back Todd Gurley had — 113 rushing yards on 28 carries and three touchdowns, plus another touchdown through the air. And San Francisco couldn’t generate anything resembling a pass rush.

The lack of a pass rush allowed the Rams to have two 100-yard receivers on the game, Sammy Watkins (106 and two touchdowns) and Robert Woods (108 yards).

More from Niner Noise

Want to identify a problem? There you go.

Simply put, the Niners put themselves in a position where the outcome of the game could be decided by the officials. And that’s never a thing teams want to do. Remember, even the referees make mistakes.

Targeting the officials is going after the low fruit on the tree, so to speak. And while it’s easy, one has to remember the plethora of mistakes and shortcomings the 49ers suffered over the course of the game too.

Next: Full grades, analysis from 49ers' Week 3 loss to the Rams

If you want to find a reason why the Niners lost, that’s it.