Questionable Calls Doom 49ers, Mar What Should Have Been Epic Rivalry Game

The San Francisco 49ers are officially out of the playoff hunt. Let that sink in for a second.

In what could be the last meaningful game of the Jim Harbaugh era, questionable calls by the officials marred what should have been an epic showdown between two of the most physical teams in the National Football League.

The biggest call that turned a 10-7 Seattle Seahawks lead into a 17-7 game came during the fourth quarter. That's when the refs in charge of the contest decided to throw a flag for roughing the passer.

This Vine video posted by user PDS shows you what happened:

Coming with pressure on a 3rd-and-5 play, 49ers linebacker Nick Moody and defensive back Antoine Bethea closed in on Russell Wilson. Almost immediately after Wilson throws an incomplete pass to wide receiver Paul Richardson, both 49ers defenders tackle him to the turf.

With his helmet pinned against Wilson's chest, Moody was flagged for the infraction.

On the broadcast view and on the replay, it looked like the refs really botched that call. Moody didn't appear to be leading with the crown of his helmet when he wrestled down the mobile QB.

One of many people on social media who hated the call, Sports Illustrated's Chris Burke voiced his opinion on the matter:

After the penalty was assessed, the Seahawks offense got another chance to put up points. Just two plays later, Wilson wound up connecting with Richardson on a 10-yard touchdown strike.

That would be the last score of the afternoon.

Former vice president of officiating in the National Football League and current rules analyst at Fox Sports Mike Pereira shared his take on the game-changing call, thoughtfully expressing why he disagreed with the ruling on the field:

The roughing the passer call may have been the biggest one of the game, but it wasn't the only time the refs tossed out their flags prematurely.

Image via http://i.imgur.com/xVOKkWE.gif

Earlier in the bout, 49ers safety Eric Reid was flagged for delivering a jolting hit to Richardson on a 1st-and-10 play.

Patrolling the middle of the field, Reid came over, lowered his shoulder and leaned into the rookie wide receiver. It was a difficult call to make when you consider the NFL's goal of protecting defenseless receivers, but again, people didn't agree with it.

Bleacher Report's Jason Cole was one of those people:

Reid may be a guy who can deliver big hits, but as Pro Football Focus analyst Jeff Deeney points out, he doesn't have an extensive track record when it comes to penalties:

That call was the second time he was penalized for unnecessary roughness in the first quarter alone.

Penalty	Yards	Quarter
Illegal Block Above the Waist	10	First
Unnecessary Roughness	15	First
Unnecessary Roughness	15	First
Offensive Holding	10	First
Offensive Holding	7	Third
Roughing the Passer	15	Fourth
Offensive Holding	7	Fourth
Ineligible Downfield Pass	Declined	Fourth

To be clear, the 49ers put themselves in this situation. The refs may have made a series of questionable calls, but they don't shoulder an entire season worth of blame.

Week after week, San Fransisco's offense seems to sputter even more, and it starts with quarterback Colin Kaepernick's regression—a regression that's been terrifying to watch.

Kaepernick doesn't look like the guy who helped the 49ers reach the NFC title game last season. Since Week 10, he's only thrown for 200 yards or more just twice. 

John Froschauer/Associated Press

In that same period of time, the dual-threat QB has tossed only four touchdowns to five interceptions.

As bad as Kaepernick has been, he hasn't gotten a ton of help from any of his pass-catchers besides Anquan Boldin—on the 104 targets Boldin's received, he's caught 74 of them for 920 yards and four scores.

It's been a stunning turn of events for a 49ers team that's played in three consecutive NFC Championship Games. One of the most successful franchises in recent memory has now become a middle-of-the-pack team on the outside looking in.

Despite what was on the line in this game—and the fact that the 49ers have only themselves to blame for the loss—questionable officiating certainly didn't help their cause, and it definitely didn't add anything to what should have been a terrific rivalry game.

Smothered by penalties and rumors, the 2014 49ers will now ride off into the sunset in search of answers.

Unless noted otherwise, all game scores and information come courtesy of ESPN.com.