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NFL explains why Seahawks’ Cooper Kupp was ruled short on final play vs. 49ers 1
The Seattle Seahawks had fourth-and-10 at midfield with 54 seconds left on Sunday, trailing the San Francisco 49ers 32-29 at Lumen Field. Sam Darnold found Cooper Kupp near the sideline, and Kupp slipped one tackle and dove for the San Francisco 40 as Malik Mustapha drove him out of bounds.
Referee Land Clark’s crew spotted the ball short. The play was reviewed automatically under the two-minute rule, the call stood, and the 49ers took two kneel-downs to finish a 32-29 win that moved them to 5-0.
Replays of the dive spread quickly, many of them arguing that Kupp never stepped out before stretching the ball past the marker. That argument rests on where his body was, while the rule looks only at the ball.
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Feb 3, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) speaks to the media at Super Bowl LX press conference at the San Jose Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Mark Butterworth, the NFL’s vice president of instant replay, explained the standard to pool reporter Brady Henderson of ESPN after the game.
“With all of our available angles, including our boundary line cameras, there was no video evidence to overturn the call on the field,” Butterworth said. “A key thing to remember is we are looking at when the ball breaks from green, the field of play, to white, out of bounds.”
IT MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE HOW THIS WAS RULED SHORT OF A FIRST DOWN.
COOPER KUPP NEVER STEPPED OUT OF BOUNDS BEFORE EXTENDING THE BALL PAST THE FIRST-DOWN MARKER: https://t.co/WSGnwqXpSf
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) October 11, 2026
Why Kupp’s extension did not count
Butterworth separated the line to gain from the goal line, where fans are used to seeing a body part in the end zone count.
“The line to gain we treat differently than the goal line,” Butterworth said. “The runner gets goal-line extended with a body part in the end zone. For the line to gain, we are looking at where the ball breaks from green to white.”
That means Kupp keeping his feet in bounds did not help him.
Once the ball crossed the plane of the sideline, the spot was set right there, and anything he stretched toward the marker after that point did not count. FOX rules analyst Dean Blandino said on the broadcast that the ball broke the sideline right at the line to gain, which is why replay could not find the clear evidence needed to reverse the call.
“Take that sideline and a plane of glass going up. Where does it cross?” Blandino said.
Kupp, the player with the most reason to dispute the spot, put the result on himself.
“I knew it was close, but clearly it was short,” Kupp said. “There’s not enough there, I’ve got to find a way to get that fourth down.”
Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald watches play against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second half of the game at Arrowhead Stadium.
Aug 28, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald watches play against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second half of the game at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald was asked about the spot in his postgame news conference and let it go.
“I don’t know. They said he was short, so you’ve got to live with it,” Macdonald said.
He spent more of that news conference on Seattle’s turnovers than on the officials.
“Way too many giveaways at this point in the season,” Macdonald said.
The loss drops Seattle to 3-2, two games behind San Francisco in the NFC West, and the Seahawks are back on the field Thursday night.