Did Cooper Kupp have a first down? Why Seahawks WR was ruled short in game-ending decision originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Seahawks were a total mismatch for the 49ers in the playoffs last season, but there was little separation between the two NFC West rivals on Sunday. In fact, the game came down to as little as an inch.
Looking to keep Seattle's drive alive in the final minute of the fourth quarter, Sam Darnold found Cooper Kupp for just about 10 yards on a fourth-and-10, but Kupp's outstretched hands as he went out of bounds were controversially ruled short of the marker.
While the Seahawks' raucous crowd cheered as they saw the replay, the officials came back with a different ruling than the fans were expecting.
Here's a look at the play.
Why Cooper Kupp was ruled short of first down
Darnold threw short of the line to gain on fourth-and-10, but Kupp was able to break free from a defender and take aim at the first-down marker. As he tried to evade Malik Mustapha, Kupp leapt forward with the ball and landed along the sideline.
Cooper Kupp is short and the @49ers take over! @SFvsSEA on FOX/FOX One Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/k9426I2gFe
— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026
Officials ruled Kupp short on the field. Replay showed the it was about as bang-bang as it gets. Kupp never stepped out of bounds and clearly got the ball past the marker at some point, but the question officials had to answer was whether the ball was over the while out-of-bounds line before it reached the first-down marker.
Here's a close-up of the play:
Cooper Kupp was ruled short of a 1st down on this 4th and 10. Seahawks turnover on downs https://t.co/BZTFctlLvz
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) October 11, 2026
It's extraordinarily difficult to tell whether the ball is over the white line and out of bounds when it's at least a couple of feet above the line, so officials didn't have convincing evidence to overturn the call on the field.
The call stood, rather than being confirmed, which indicates Kupp would have been given the first down had the call on the field been a first down.
Instead, the Seahawks turned the ball over on downs and suffered a 32-29 home loss that could seriously damage their NFC West chances.