49ers WR Jauan Jennings Outperformed Jalen Hurts in Deep Completions

Shutterstock

The San Francisco 49ers stunned the defending champion Eagles with a 23-19 road victory in Philadelphia on Sunday. One of the game’s most memorable plays came when wide receiver Jauan Jennings threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to running back Christian McCaffrey.

In an ironic twist, Jennings’ single pass traveled farther through the air than any completion from Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts all game. The 49ers receiver’s touchdown toss covered more “air yards” – the distance a football travels in the air from scrimmage to catch point – than Hurts managed on any of his 35 attempts.

Jennings made an impact as a receiver too, hauling in a 45-yard reception on three targets.

Hurts finished the day completing 20 passes for just 168 yards with one touchdown.

Big Play Changes Momentum

The stat highlights Philadelphia’s offensive struggles throughout the contest.

Hurts took responsibility for the loss during his post-game press conference.

“I think competitively everyone on our team had a great desire to win, to achieve the ultimate goal, and especially here right now, having everything in front of us, it was about winning, and that’s something that we didn’t collectively do, and that starts with me,” Hurts said.

Despite the disappointing playoff exit, Hurts put together a solid regular season. He completed 64.8% of his passes for 3,224 yards with 25 touchdowns against just six interceptions.

Jennings – now perfect as a passer in the playoffs – enjoyed a productive season himself. The fourth-year receiver caught 55 passes for 643 yards and established a career-high with 9 receiving touchdowns.

With their upset victory, the sixth-seeded 49ers advance to the NFC Divisional Round. They’ll face a familiar opponent in their NFC West rivals, the top-seeded Seattle Seahawks, on Saturday, January 17.

Exit mobile version