The 49ers lost their eighth game of the season against a heavily-favored Cardinals team. The outcome of the game wasn't surprising, but the fact that the 49ers were within one score of winning, 19-13, was somewhat of a shock given how the Niners' season has gone.
Arizona needed a late touchdown to create the winning margin, which means that any number of plays might have swung things in San Francisco's favor. That's why 49ers offensive guard Alex Boone was so furious about officiating during Sunday's game. A total of 20 penalties were enforced, 13 of them against the 49ers. At one point, the 49ers were flagged four times in seven plays.
Boone was not at all afraid of any repercussions he might face for his comments. He even called out NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Niners Nation handily transcribed Boone's comments:
I'm not too worried about getting fined. I thought those refs sucked. You call running into a player when nobody even touched you. I mean, if you don't like what we say, then don't like what we say. Don't throw a flag for it. That's what I'm sick about this league. This is supposed to be a man's game. Be a man. That's what pisses me off. It's guys like that work in this league, work on this field, and we have to deal with it. Whatever. It was a terrible call. It was terrible calls all game. I don't care what the league says, I don't care what Roger says. It's the truth. You don't like it, get the hell out of there.
NFL officiating has been awful this season. It's no surprise that Boone is upset.
SB Nation presents: The 49ers' non-stop penalties against Arizona