The Washington Commanders suffered an agonizing 23-17 Week 6 loss to the unbeaten San Francisco 49ers, which dropped them to 1-4-1 on the season. The game at Levi’s Stadium drew controversy after officials flagged a hit by Fred Warner on Dyami Brown that appeared to include helmet-to-helmet contact.

Fans Stunned by Referee’s Call in Commanders-49ers Clash

NFL fans on X were stunned by the referee’s decision to rescind the penalty after initially throwing the flag after Warner’s hit.

One fan was stunned that the referees did not call the obvious penalty on Warner’s play.

“Ridiculous that this wasn’t called a penalty. Clear hit to the head and shows the NFL doesn’t really care as much as they should,” the fan remarked.

Another fan proclaimed that the 49ers were getting all the calls from the referees.

“Niners defense always out there headhunting. Put that man in any other helmet, it gets called 10/10 times,” the fan wrote.

Analyst Ryan Paganetti urged players to visibly complain about certain calls to keep the referees honest.

“Fred Warner with one of the most clear helmet to helmet hits you can imagine and they *pick up* the flag. Players and fans should always complain about calls because sometimes you do dupe the refs,” Paganetti posted.

One fan gave a scathing assessment of Warner after the incident.

“Fred Warner is one of the dirtiest players in football. How the league hasn’t dished a suspension to him is absurd,”the fan fumed.

Even a 49ers fan was confused by the call.

“Very confusing decision to pick up the flag. Coming from a 49ers fan,” the fan posted.

Another fan complained about the inconsistencies in the official’s calls week to week.

“It’s freaking crazy how inconsistent these officials are every week every game. Every crew. Completely insane,” the fan wrote.

NFL insider Josina Anderson was scandalized by the referee’s decision to pick up the flag.

“WHAT IN THE WORLD: How in the heck to the refs pick the flag up on this helmet hit by Fred Warner in a game where the stripes are supposed to be watching the play, looking out for player safety, have independent oversight in-stadium on helmet hits and Park Ave watching too. #Commanders have a valid gripe,” Anderson wrote.

Despite the official’s divisive call, the Commanders went down the field and scored a touchdown at the end of the drive to make it a close contest against the 49ers, who ultimately closed out the game to remain undefeated.

After missing the playoffs last season, there was a lot of preseason optimism surrounding the franchise, but the Commanders have struggled to separate themselves on either side of the ball, ranking No. 20 in PFN Offense Impact and No. 26 in Defense Impact.