49ers’ Jauan Jennings becomes 2nd player with a TD pass and catch in a Super Bowl
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jauan Jennings’ historic Super Bowl milestone will turn into only a footnote after his San Francisco 49ers lost the game.
It doesn’t make what the backup receiver did any less impressive.
Jennings threw a touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey on a trick play in the first half and then caught a TD pass of his own in the second half of San Francisco’s 25-22 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
Jennings was an unlikely star for the 49ers after catching only 19 passes in the regular season. He joined Philadelphia’s Nick Foles as the only players ever to catch a TD pass and throw one in a Super Bowl.
Niners coach Kyle Shanahan shies away from using too many trick plays, believing in the ability of his offense to deliver without them.
But he saved this one up for one of the biggest moments of the season. With San Francisco facing a second-and-10 from the Kansas City 21, Brock Purdy threw a quick lateral to Jennings on the left side.
Jennings immediately threw it back to the other side to McCaffrey, who had a convoy of blockers and ran in for a 21-yard TD to make it 10-0.
The score was just the sixth TD pass thrown by a non-quarterback in Super Bowl history with it happening three times in the past seven seasons.
Running back Joe Mixon threw the most recent one two years ago to Tee Higgins for Cincinnati against the Los Angeles Rams. Trey Burton had the famous “Philly Special” pass to Foles at the end of the first half in Super Bowl 52 for Philadelphia against New England.
The other non-quarterbacks with a TD pass in the Super Bowl are Antwaan Randle El for Pittsburgh against Seattle in Super Bowl 40, Lawrence McCutcheon for the Rams against Pittsburgh in Super Bowl 14 and Robert Newhouse for Dallas against Denver in Super Bowl 12.
Jennings hadn’t thrown a pass in three seasons in the NFL. He threw five in college at Tennessee with two touchdowns. The previous one came on Oct. 8, 2016, when he threw a 4-yarder to Joshua Dobbs against Texas A&M.
Jennings then went back to catching passes in the second half. His 10-yard reception where he bowled through defenders to score gave San Francisco a 16-13 lead early in the fourth quarter that the Niners couldn’t hold.
Jennings finished with four catches for 42 yards.
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