‘Cheap shot’ – Kyle Shanahan issues verdict after 49ers star throws punches in heated brawl after brutal low blow

It was an ugly contest from start to finish, and then some afters just for good measure.

The San Francisco 49ers somehow pulled off a 20-9 victory against the Carolina Panthers despite $265 million quarterback Brock Purdy becoming the first player in the NFL this season to fire three interceptions in the first half.

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Just mere moments after the Niners’ victory, though, 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings could be seen throwing an open-hand punch at Panthers safety Tre’von Moehrig on his face mask as the two engaged in a brief scuffle.

As tensions rose, the two were quickly separated with team personnel from either side intervening, but it later became apparent that Jennings was responding to a cheap shot aimed in his direction in the latter stages of the contest.

The broadcast cameras showed a replay of Moehrig delivering a deliberate punch to Jennings’ groin area.

At the time the incident occurred, the 28-year-old did not immediately retaliate, and instead could be seen desperately pleading with the officials to throw a penalty flag on his opponent.

After the game, Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed the incident, and offered some more detail as to what exactly happened.

“The guy [Moehrig] took a cheap shot and hit him in the balls. I was really proud of Jauan for not losing his mind out there and getting him to the sideline,” Shanahan said.

Jennings finished the game having recorded five receptions for 41 yards and also had San Francisco‘s lone receiving touchdown, amid Purdy’s – who is considered ‘the guy’ by his teammates– struggles on the night.

“I was just responding to some childish behavior,” Jennings said about the postgame incident.

He later admitted that whilst he didn’t expect to be on the receiving end of a punch like that, he did acknowledge that his opponent likely got riled up due to him playing through – and sometimes past – the whistle.

“That was just out of nowhere,” Jennings added. “I think it’s probably just like I was saying, just the history of me playing ball.

X/ @awfulannouncing

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“I play hard. I’m physically stronger than a lot of DBs out there and a lot of things happen in between the whistles. With me at least.”

On the other side of the ball, Moehrig recorded eight total tackles, four of which were solo, as well as a tackle for loss.

In the locker room after the game, he gave his side of the story.

““It ain’t really nothing much to it, it was just that,” Moehrig said, per ESPN’s David Newton. “Like I said, I’ll take that one. He wanted to do a little dirty stuff, so it is what it is, man.”

“It wasn’t even frustration. It was isolated, that’s that.”

Panthers head coach Dave Canales made it very clear in his postgame press conference that he plans to address the incident with his safety.

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“That’ll be a conversation that I’ll dig into,” Canales said. “I’ll talk to him tonight, and I want to make sure I’ll have a chance to look at the film and see what happened.”

As it pertains to possible punishments for them both, a fine and perhaps even a one game suspension could be on the horizon, with Daron Payne of the Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch each docked pay and handed a one-game ban for a similar altercation earlier this season.

Despite an uncharacteristic performance from Purdy under center, the 49ers have climbed to 8-4 on the season, with ‘one-of-one’ running back Christian McCaffrey once again carrying the offense with 142 total yards and a rushing score keeping their hopes of reaching a home Super Bowl very much alive.

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