Look, some losses are simple. You get outplayed. The other guys are cooking, and you’re not. It happens. But the San Francisco 49ers ’ loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars? That wasn’t simple. It was bizarre, crystallized in a single, maddening moment of sideline chaos where a simple “no” somehow got lost in translation. A moment that ended with the refs reportedly apologizing to Kyle Shanahan..

Here’s the rub. Midway through the second quarter, the Jaguars were backed up, facing a 2nd & 12, thanks to a holding call. On the next play, another yellow flag—another hold. For Shanahan, the math was easy. Decline the second penalty. Make it 3rd & 12. A gettable down, sure, but a third down. Instead, in a baffling sequence, the refs accepted the penalty, pushing Jacksonville back to a 2

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