Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) makes against San Francisco 49ers cornerback Jimmie Ward (1) during the first quarter in the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

49ers miss major opportunity to challenge crucial DeVonta Smith catch

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 1/29/23

The San Francisco 49ers missed a huge opportunity to challenge a catch made by DeVonta Smith on the Philadelphia Eagles’ opening drive of the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.

The Eagles had a 4th-and-3 at the 49ers 35 on the opening possession of the game. Jalen Hurts was under pressure and looking for someone to throw to. He tossed one down the field for Smith, who appeared to make an incredible one-handed catch.

Devonta Smith, on 4th down, holy smokes! pic.twitter.com/xgUl0rRMSl

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 29, 2023

That catch gave the Eagles a first down at the six. On second-and-goal, Miles Sanders rushed for a touchdown and the Eagles took a 7-0 lead.

So what did the Niners do wrong?

They missed that Smith lost control of the ball as he went to the ground, meaning the catch should not have counted and should have been ruled an incompletion.

The Devonta Smith one-handed catch should've actually been incomplete as the ball clearly hit the ground. Eagles hurried to the line, seems like the 49ers didn't get the correct angle in time. Huge, huge miss.pic.twitter.com/efJ9pmb3sC

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 29, 2023

After seemingly making the grab, Smith wanted his Eagles to hurry to the line to snap the ball. That seemed to be an indication that he knew he didn’t make the catch.

The Niners didn’t have a clear TV angle at the time, but between how close that play was and Smith’s body language, they should have read the situation and thrown a challenge flag. That was a big missed opportunity.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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