Atlanta, Georgia – October 21, 2025 – Former Atlanta Falcons legendary quarterback Matt Ryan continues to “throw stones” at his old team following the 10-20 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in NFL Week 7. In an ESPN interview today, “Matty Ice” stressed that the Falcons received referee decisions that “tilted heavily” in their favor, but lacked the sharpness to turn them into a victory. In particular, Ryan highlighted the controversial pass interference (PI) call against the 49ers’ Deommodore Lenoir – a play that even Richard Sherman, the ex-Seahawks and 49ers star, dubbed a “BS call” (bullshit call), handing the Falcons a golden opportunity they failed to fully capitalize on.

“That game was riddled with moments where the refs seemed to be ‘helping’ the Falcons, from the PI on Lenoir to uncalled alignment errors. But we played like we were waiting for another handout, instead of pouncing,” Ryan said, his voice laced with disappointment. “That’s not the DNA of the Dirty Birds – we have to learn to turn ‘luck’ into touchdowns, not let it slip through our fingers.”

Based on analysis from ESPN, CBS Sports, and X commentary, the game at Levi’s Stadium featured a slew of disputed calls, with the Falcons allegedly benefiting from the refs’ inconsistency. Ryan uses these examples to criticize his former team, inadvertently exposing major flaws in the NFL’s officiating system – where calls like PI seem driven more by subjectivity than rules.

1. The “BS” Pass Interference on Deommodore Lenoir (Q3): A Ref Gift the Falcons Squandered In a pivotal moment as the Falcons chased the score (10-17), WR Drake London was deemed “impeded” by 49ers CB Deommodore Lenoir, resulting in a 22-yard PI penalty – advancing the Falcons from third-and-long to an easy FG or deep-shot position. Richard Sherman, in his NBC breakdown, called it a “bullshit call”: “Lenoir was playing clean, going after the ball. If you’re calling PI here, you gotta flag OPI on the receiver too for the hand-fighting – but the refs only saw one side. They’re making life hell for the defense.” Video of the play, viral on X, clearly shows routine contact in a ball dispute, yet the refs whistled it, giving the Falcons three points (making it 13-17). Ryan commented: “That’s a 22-yard gift – enough to flip the script. But instead of pushing hard, we just kicked the FG and let the 49ers breathe. Deadly mistake!” Per PFF, this was one of the “questionable calls” fueling the “screwed over” feeling for the 49ers, even though they won through superior execution.
2. Intentional Grounding in the Second Quarter: Falcons “Dodged a Bullet” Thanks to the 10-Second Runoff? With the Falcons poised to tie it (10-3), QB Michael Penix Jr. committed intentional grounding, which should have triggered a 10-second runoff to end the half. But the refs “forgot” to verify the exact clock, giving the Falcons extra breathing room and avoiding a bigger setback. “If they’d been strict, we could’ve lost the half – but they let us off. And the Falcons didn’t capitalize to score,” Ryan said. Falcon Wire labeled it an “under-the-radar advantage” that kept them alive.
3. Falcons’ Defensive Alignment Error: No Call, Clear “Bias”? In Q4, the Falcons had only 10 players on the field during the 49ers’ third-and-14 at the 4-yard line, but the refs let it slide, allowing Mac Jones to complete a 17-yard pass to Christian McCaffrey and set up goal-to-go. “A free 5-yard non-call – should’ve been a first down for the 49ers. We could’ve built momentum from it, but let McCaffrey waltz into the end zone,” Ryan slammed. CBS Sports noted how rare it is to overlook this, spotlighting the officiating’s lack of transparency.
4. Other Penalties and Overall Imbalance The Falcons drew 6 penalties for 43 yards, but calls like roughing the passer on Penix (praised by Falcons fans on X) “saved” them from killer sacks. “The refs were trying to bail us out at key spots, but the Falcons couldn’t seize it. That’s why we lost – not because the 49ers were better, but because we beat ourselves,” Ryan asserted. Recent studies on “implicit bias” (like with the Chiefs) position this game as a prime example.

Richard Sherman on the pass interference call against Deommodore Lenoir:

“Deommodore played well. That was a BS PI call on him. These referees are getting out of hand. It’s a hard enough to play defense in this league and for them to call PI on plays where the defender is… pic.twitter.com/9Oif5lnyJ4

— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) October 20, 2025

Ryan, who led the Falcons to Super Bowl LI in 2016, calls for a focus on execution: “I love the Falcons, but this is a costly lesson. The 49ers played solid; we have to turn ‘bias’ into real wins – or this season ends early.” He especially spotlighted the Lenoir PI as “the biggest missed chance,” reminding the team that “hand-fighting is part of the game, but the refs turned it into unnecessary drama.”

Reactions are heating up: #RefsRobbed49ers is trending on X, with 49ers fans echoing Sherman on the “BS call.” Some Falcons die-hards back Ryan: “Matty’s right – we had the edge, why waste it?” Head coach Raheem Morris dodged ref talk, zeroing in on “lack of execution.”

The loss drops the Falcons to third in the NFC South, while the 49ers solidify their NFC West lead. Week 8 against the Panthers will test Ryan’s words.