Trent Williams got away with a punch — and a possible ejection — before halftime Thursday night against the Giants, as the 49ers’ offensive lineman swung at defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson with seconds remaining in the second quarter.
Williams and Robinson were both penalized for unnecessary roughness, but the punch wasn’t mentioned in the calls from officials.
Everything appeared to start with Robinson giving another offensive lineman an extra shove after San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy opted to kneel for the final play of the half with the 49ers in the lead.
Then, Williams confronted Robinson — who signed with the Giants in the offseason after three years with the Rams in the NFC West, where he faced Williams — and appeared to potentially swing at him twice, with the second one an obvious punch that connected with Robinson’s helmet.
That’s when a flag was thrown next to the play, and the 49ers needed one more snap to run the remaining time off the clock to take their 17-3 lead into halftime.
Williams, who spent the first nine seasons of his career with Washington before shifting to the 49ers during the 2020 season, helped anchor the San Francisco offensive line in the opening two quarters, as running back Christian McCaffrey collected 61 yards and a touchdown in the ground game.
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Purdy, while missing one of his top receivers in Brandon Aiyuk, also completed a touchdown to Ronnie Bell.
Robinson has recorded six tackles — including one tackle for loss — across the Giants’ first two games against the Cowboys and Cardinals, and through the first possession of the third quarter, he had collected another three tackles against the 49ers.
The 49ers are looking to move to 3-0 while the Giants are in danger of slipping to 1-2 to start the season.
