The San Francisco 49ers are very lucky they will still have offensive lineman Trent Williams on the field for the rest of Thursday Night Football.
Just before halftime, the All-Pro offensive tackle threw a closed-fist punch at New York Giants defensive lineman A'Shawn Robinson during a scuffle between the two players.
Replays showed just how blatant the punch was, but the refs didn't see the full extent of it because Williams wasn't ejected. Instead, the officials hit both sides with unnecessary roughness penalties.
49ers OT Trent Williams punched Giants DL A'Shawn Robinson in the facemask but avoided ejection
First and foremost, there's nothing more dumb than punching another man with a closed fist while he's wearing a helmet. The only damage you're going to do with that is a broken hand.
Second, Williams has to show more restraint than that. The 49ers may have been having a relatively comfortable first half against the Giants but losing a star offensive lineman to an ejection could have been the thing that sparked New York back into the game.
Luckily for Williams, the refs let him off the hook.
For Giants fans, that's got to be incredibly frustrating, especially because Leonard Williams got hit with a dubious roughing the passer penalty not long before.
The 49ers had their drive extended and went on to score a touchdown, so that penalty was incredibly meaningful.
The refs need to be consistent and they weren't in this case.
It will be interesting to see what kind of action the NFL takes against Williams. A fine is almost certainly coming, but that blatant of a punch could also result in a suspension, especially given Williams' past.
Williams was fined for body-slamming Eagles defender K'Von Wallace during the playoffs earlier this year. He was ejected from that game.
