It’s not often you hear a player get criticism for scoring a go-ahead touchdown.
Yet that was the case in some corners of the internet when 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk broke two tackles and scored leaving 37 seconds on the clock in Sunday night’s thriller vs. the Packers. It was enough time for Aaron Rodgers to lead Green Bay into field goal range on the following drive and win the game.
The criticism that Garoppolo should’ve waited to snap the ball, instead of doing so with 12 seconds on the play clock, is valid. The idea that once Juszczyk should’ve gone down instead of scoring seems less so, and the fullback agreed on KNBR Tuesday morning.
“I’ve been disappointed in seeing kind of the outlash of people saying that,” Juszczyk said during the “Murph & Mac” show. “I mean, all I can say is there are some plays that I want back in that game, but I promise you, that’s not one of them. That’s one I’m not going to change a hundred times out of a hundred. From a football sense, it doesn’t make sense.
“You don’t get to choose in the NFL when you score, even if you’re on the one-yard line. And even at that [point], we’re down six points, so we’re not kicking a field goal. And at what point — how many chances do you give yourself? From then on, do I snap the ball at 32 seconds? Do I snap the ball at 15 seconds and only leave myself two or three plays? There’s too much left to chance there.
“Like I said, that’s not one I’m changing. I’m scoring every time.”
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Listen to the full interview below.