Tempers were running hot in the NFL on Sunday. After two brawls during the early games, the 49ers and Cardinals had a brouhaha of their own, following a questionable late hit by Cardinals safety Antoine Bethea that targeted the head of 49ers quarterback C.J. Beathard late in the fourth quarter.
The hit led to pushing and shoving by both teams, which then triggered a fight between Cardinals defensive lineman Frostee Rucker and running back Carlos Hyde, both of whom, along with Bethea, were ejected.
3rd big fight of the day, happened during #Cardinals–#49ers game pic.twitter.com/WoAgNQgcgW
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 6, 2017
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan didn’t have any criticism for Hyde’s conduct after the game, instead praising the running back for defending Beathard.
“I really loved how he went and got our quarterback’s back, Shanahan said via the San Francisco Chronicle. “I thought our quarterback had a couple of helmets to the head when he was in the pocket a few plays before. And then he ended up scrambling and sliding and he got one again. I think our players had had enough.”
For the third week in a row, Beathard was battered all game, and has now been sacked 16 times in just three and a half games. Beathard was also pleased with Hyde having his back, calling the running back’s response “awesome” after the game.