"There were several, including that one where the defender pushed the ball carrier out of bounds and got a 15 yard penalty for his troubles."
The penalty was on the guy who hit the Seahawk AFTER he was pushed out of bounds by the other 49er. They had a clear shot of it and it was an easy call.
The penalty was on the guy who hit the Seahawk AFTER he was pushed out of bounds by the other 49er.He wasn't out of bounds when the guy charged him. The runner could have stayed in bounds at that point, and if the D didn't go at him, he might have kept going. As it happened, the runner did go out of bounds and the D's momentum carried through.
It was anything but gratuitous, and certainly didn't merit a 15 yard penalty.