Personal foul calls are always up for interpretation, and are made on bang-bang plays. In the case of this call which went against the San Francisco 49ers, we have the benefit of instant replay, which seems to suggest the decision against cornerback Tashaun Gipson was the wrong one.
The call was a personal foul against a defenseless receiver. The throw itself was rather high, so it's tough to ask Gipson to do much more. He wanted to dislodge the ball itself without making contact with the receiver's upper body. Based on the ball placement from PJ Walker, that was borderline impossible.
What is a personal foul in the NFL?
A personal foul in the NFL is identified as unnecessary contact, especially when it comes above the shoulder pads. The hit by Gipson did come above that mark, which is why the flag was thrown in the first place.
The Browns-49ers game was a surprisingly close on given Deshaun Watson was designated as out. Without Walker, PJ Walker stepped in and played admirably considering he's a backup QB facing one of the best defenses in football.
Thankfully for the 49ers case, this call did not cost them the game, as Brock Purdy was able to get the team in field goal range late in the fourth quarter. The Browns defense kept Cleveland in this game for the majority of the contest.
The 49ers lost on a missed game-winning field goal from their rookie kicker.
