Jennings' stellar performance goes for naught
LAS VEGAS >> Jauan Jennings had never thrown an NFL pass and Kyle Shanahan, averse to calling trick plays, hadn't let a non-quarterback throw the ball since 2022.
Yet, with 3:26 left in the first half of Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, Shanahan trusted Jennings with the ball. The play call: Snap it to Brock Purdy, sling it backward to the left to Jennings, and let him either take a deep shot downfield or swing it back across the field to Christian McCaffrey.
Jennings, showing the poise of the former quarterback he is, made his reads and connected with McCaffrey for the first touchdown of the game, giving San Francisco a 10-0 lead.
On a field with McCaffrey, Purdy, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Isiah Pacheco and George Kittle, Jennings became the unexpected player to break out. With his touchdown pass to McCaffrey, Jennings became the sixth non-quarterback to throw a touchdown in the Super Bowl.
It didn't stop there: Jennings came up big in the second half with a go-ahead touchdown grab. The thirdyear pro finished with 42 yards on four catches, plus the touchdown pass in a Super Bowl MVP-caliber performance. But not enough of Jennings' teammates stepped up in a heartbreaking 25-22 defeat in overtime, putting his heroics at risk of being forgotten in history.
“He's unbelievable, man,” McCaffrey said postgame. “He's extremely gifted, but he plays with so much heart. You see it in the run game, in the way he finishes plays. I'm just lucky I get to play with him.”
At the time of Jennings' touchdown pass, the 49ers had dominated in many aspects of the game, but clung to just a 3-0 lead. Shanahan dialed up the trick play in a moment in which the team needed to break through. Jennings is typically a go-to option on third downs, but Shanahan called his number this time, in a completely new way, on second-and-10.
The most recent nonquarterback to throw a Super Bowl touchdown was Bengals running back Joe Mixon two years ago. Trey Burton of the Eagles tossed the legendary “Philly Special” pass to Nick Foles in Super Bowl LII to stun the Patriots. Antwaan Randle El, Lawrence McCutcheon and Robert Newhouse also tossed unlikely TDs.
Jennings grew up playing quarterback in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where he became a four-star prospect. Recruiting site 247Sports ranked him the fifth-best quarterback in the 2014 graduating class, ahead of current 49ers backup Sam Darnold and Bengals superstar Joe Burrow.
Upon arriving at the University of Tennessee, Jennings converted to wide receiver, but he didn't completely ditch his passing skills. In college, Jennings threw five passes, two of which went for touchdowns. One, in 2015 as a true freshman, went to quarterback Joshua Dobbs for 58 yards.
“That feels awesome,” Jennings said postgame. “It felt like I was back at the University of Tennessee throwing to Josh Dobbs. To make that play, I just think about my quarterback coach from high school. I know he's so proud right now and man, I thought we were gonna win.”
To put the 49ers up 100, Jennings' first read was deep to Kittle. When the Chiefs bracketed the tight end with two defensive backs, Jennings noticed and immediately checked out of the first option.
Across the field on Jennings' right, McCaffrey leaked out behind a caravan of blockers. The play design called for a second layer: the screen. Center Jake Brendel appeared to go too far downfield a splitsecond too early, but the officials didn't throw a flag.
The play worked to perfection for the head coach. Just like that: The Shanahan Special.
As the clock rolled over to the fourth quarter, San Francisco inched into the red zone. Purdy found Kittle on a gutsy fourth-down play, and then Jennings came up big again. To score his second touchdown — this time, doing his day job — Jennings got a step on elite cornerback L'Jarius Sneed to snare a slant, shrugged Sneed off and then overpowered a safety at the goal line. He looked downright Deebo-ish.
The catch-and-run gave the Niners a 16-13 lead and made Jennings the second player to ever throw and catch a touchdown in the same Super Bowl, joining Foles.