Tavon Austin Tries Missed Field Goal Return, Nearly Allows Safety (GIF)

Tavon Austin didn’t make his smartest decision Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.

The St. Louis Rams wide receiver was ready and waiting in the end zone to field Phil Dawson’s missed 55-yard field-goal attempt at the end of the first half, but he wasn’t ready for what came next. As San Francisco defenders closed in on him near the goal line, Austin chose to run the ball out of the end zone, took a step out, re-thought his decision and then was taken down right near the goal line.

While it certainly looked like a safety, the officials ruled that Austin’s forward progress was stopped on the field of play, saving the Rams from giving up the easiest two points of the day. The referees reviewed the play, and the call on the field stood.

The 49ers would have taken those two points, though, as they fell to the Rams 13-10.

GIF via SB Nation