SAN FRANCISCOThough it will come as little consolation to 49ers fans, the NFL has confirmed that referee Ed Hochuli mistakingly called a roughing-the-passer penalty on San Francisco linebacker Nick Moody, extending a decisive fourth-quarter drive for rival Seattle.

The call essentially gifted Seattle a two-possession lead, all but ending Sunday’s game and eliminating San Francisco from playoff contention.

Hochuli mistakingly believed that Moody hit Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson with the hairline of his helmet and that his face wasn’t “completely up” as required by the NFL’s player safety rules.

“The crown is the top of the helmet, the hairline is up at the top of the forehead,” Hochuli said, “That is still a foul when you hit the quarterback with that part of your head.”

On Monday, Dean Blandino, head of NFL officiating had a different interpretation of Hochuli’s call.

“It’s close, but when you look at it on tape, Moody’s head is up,” Blandino said on NFL Network. “He hits with more the side or the facemask to the body of the quarterback. So in our review, with the ability to look at it in slow motion, it is not a foul.”

Blandino’s admission will do nothing to repair San Franciso’s shattered playoff hopes, and with Sunday’s game decided, San Francisco will only be playing for pride in remaining contests with San Diego and Arizona.