Despite a 3-interception game from quarterback Brock Purdy, the San Francisco 49ers still left Levi’s Stadium with a 20-9 victory over the Carolina Panthers on “Monday Night Football.”
Star running back Christian McCaffrey carried the offense with Purdy struggling, rushing for 89 yards and a touchdown while adding 53 yards on 7 catches.
Receiver Jauan Jennings hauled in Purdy’s lone touchdown pass — a 12-yard strike on San Francisco’s opening drive — but his score wasn’t his most memorable moment of the night.
NFL Likely to Suspend Jennings for Postgame Brawl
After Monday’s game ended and the teams were dispersing for postgame handshakes, Jennings made a beeline for Panthers safety Tre’von Moehrig.
As he approached, Moehrig put his hand up to greet Jennings and was met with a hard strike to the face. Jennings struck him a second time before being pulled away by Panthers linebacker Krys Barnes.
Jennings continued talking smack as he was being pushed away.
Based on how the NFL has handled these incidents in the past, including earlier this season when Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch struck Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in the face after their Week 6 matchup, it’s likely that Jennings will have a hefty punishment heading his way.
The NFL has cracked down on unsportsmanlike conduct behavior this season, which is why Branch was hit with a one-game suspension for his actions. It’s likely Jennings will suffer a similar fate.
“Your aggressive, non-football act was entirely unwarranted, posed a serious risk of injury, and clearly violated the standards of conduct and sportsmanship expected of NFL players,” NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan wrote in a statement to Branch. “Your conduct reflected poorly on the NFL and has no place in our game.”
Jennings May Have Been Retaliating
Video started making the rounds on social media of a prior incident earlier in the game that seemed to reveal what sparked Jennings’ postgame outburst.
After a McCaffrey run, Moehrig was seen punching Jennings below the belt — behavior hat Jennings seemingly wanted revenge for after the final whistle.
“The TV is gonna tell you what happened,” Jennings told reporters after the game, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “I was just responding, to me, just some childish behavior.”
Just last week, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Jalen Ramsey found himself in a similar situation. Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase spat at Ramsey, which prompted the All-Pro defensive back to strike him in the face too.
Chase was suspended for Cincinnati’s Week 12 matchup against the New England Patriots on Sunday for his part (the NFL has a zero tolerance policy for players spitting at other players).
If the league deems Moehrig’s actions as provoking in the same sense that Chase’s actions were, then he could also be punished by the league. Moehrig himself admitted he expects to be fined for his actions, according to The Athletic.
“There really ain’t nothing much to it, bro. It was just that,” Moehrig stated. “I’ll take that one. He wanted to do a little dirty stuff, so it is what it is, man.”
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