49ers’ Jennings goes after Panthers’ Moehrig over ‘cheap shot’

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Moments after San Francisco’s 20-9 victory over Carolina on Monday night, 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings hit Panthers safety Tre’von Moehrig with a quick, open right cross in the face.

The two players were quickly separated, with the intervention of Panthers linebacker Krys Barnes and 49ers senior director of player engagement Austin Moss II.

Near the end of the match, television cameras showed Moehrig punching Jennings in the groin. Jennings did not immediately fight back and was seen pleading with officials to throw a flag at Moehrig.

“I was just reacting to childish behavior,” Jennings said of his postgame actions.

San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said Moehrig’s decision was a “cheap move.”

“I was really proud of Jauan for not losing his mind and staying on the sidelines,” Shanahan said.

Jennings said he didn’t expect Moehrig’s punch during the game, but acknowledged it was probably due to his penchant for playing until the whistle — and sometimes after — the whistle.

“It came out of nowhere,” Jennings said. “I think that’s probably what I was saying, just the story of me playing ball. I play hard. I’m physically stronger than a lot of DBs and a lot of things happen between the whistles. With me at least.”

As Jennings suspected, Moehrig and the Panthers objected to Jennings’ physical blocking style. Jennings was ejected from last season’s finale against the Arizona Cardinals after taking two unnecessary roughing penalties.

Moehrig said Jennings pushed him in the back and “talked crazy” to him during the match.

“He was just doing some extra stuff after the game,” Moehrig said. “I’ll take that one. It wasn’t just frustration. It was isolated.”

When asked if his response was justified, Moehrig replied: “That’s what it is.”

Added Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson: “I don’t have anything good to say about [No.] 15.”

Carolina coach Dave Canales said he had to watch the film again and talk to Moehrig about what happened.

“I’m going to get to the bottom of this,” Canales said. “I want to see exactly what happened. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Tre about it yet. It’ll be a conversation.”

Moehrig acknowledged he would “most likely” be fined for hitting Jennings during the game.

Both players could also face suspension. Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch was suspended one game earlier this season for punching Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster after a game. Branch appealed, but his suspension was upheld by league officer Jordy Nelson.

Jon Runyan, the NFL’s vice president of football operations, wrote in a letter to Branch that his “aggressive, non-football act was completely uncalled for, posed a serious risk of injury and clearly violated the standards of conduct and sportsmanship expected of NFL players.”

ESPN’s David Newton contributed to this report.