San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy delivered the game-winning touchdown, but he didn’t deliver the most unusual score of the day in a 23-19 Wild Card victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
That came at the hands of wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to running back Christian McCaffrey in the fourth quarter. Jennings took the ball on a reverse when fellow wideout Skyy Moore pitched the ball to him, and Jennings, who played quarterback in college, then rolled out to fire the pass to McCaffrey for a 17-16 lead. Jennings got drilled after the throw, however.
“I was on the edge, sort of blocking, sort of not in the play, and then I look back and see J.J. get hit, and I was like, ‘Dang dude, should I have done something about that? And then I look up, and the ball’s in the air, and Christian tracked it,” Purdy told reporters afterward about the play. “It was wobbling in the wind, and the fact that Christian caught it over his shoulder, dude, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’”
San Francisco didn’t keep the lead after the play when the Eagles bounced back with a field goal by kicker Jake Elliott. Purdy then led a game-winning touchdown drive as the team advanced to the Divisional Round against the Seattle Seahawks.
What Brock Purdy Told Jauan Jennings
While McCaffrey hauled in the big catch, Purdy, who blocked on the trick play, felt bothered by Jennings taking such a big hit after the throw.
“I looked back to J.J. and was like, ‘You all right?’ and then celebrated,” Purdy continued. “It was a really cool play. I mean, J.J. — he’s a baller when it comes to that. He did the same thing in the Super Bowl, took a hit, and threw it to Christian on a trick play for a touchdown. So those two are pretty cool to watch.”
49ers Pulled Out Trick Pass Play Before in 2019
Jennings played quarterback in college at Tennessee, where he switched to wide receiver. The 49ers have run a similar trick play before under Shanahan, which came in 2019 against the New Orleans Saints.
That play occurred when former quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo set up wide receiver Deebo Samuel to pitch the ball to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders to start the play. Sanders hit running back Raheem Mostert on a 35-yard touchdown pass in the process.
“It’s called Skyy bang reverse pass,” Shanahan told reporters afterward. “Last time we called it, it was called Deebo bang reverse pass. We ran it in New Orleans when Emmanuel threw to Raheem in kind of the same area of the field.”
“We were trying to set it up a little bit. We got a jet sweep to Skyy earlier in the game. It had to be on the right hash for the play because Jauan’s not left-handed. So we were just hoping to get it around there,” Shanahan added. “Klay [Kubiak] suggested it. It was a hell of a suggestion.”
49ers’ Brock Purdy Reveals 1 Regret on Trick Play Against Eagles