close
close

Jauan Jennings’ career day for 49ers goes to waste against Rams

Posted on by angelo
Jauan Jennings’ career day for 49ers goes to waste against Rams

As depressing as it is to think about the 49ers’ legendary fall Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, imagine how terrible it would be if they hadn’t stepped up and signed their top receiver.

We’re not talking about Brandon Aiyuk, who caught five passes for 48 yards and signed a four-year, $30 million per season contract in the days leading up to the season.

The player who mattered the most was Jauan Jennings, the former “Third-and-Jauan” who was a jack of all trades with Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey on the sidelines. Jennings set career highs with 11 receptions, 175 yards and three touchdowns.

Jennings and quarterback Brock Purdy (22 of 30, 292 yards, three touchdowns) led the 49ers’ passing game and both did what was necessary to secure the victory. Instead, Purdy stood at the postgame podium to explain the 49ers’ second straight loss and Jennings left the locker room without speaking to reporters after the game of his life.

During the offseason, Jennings, a seventh-round pick in the 2022 draft, was a restricted free agent and the 49ers gave him a two-year contract worth $15 million with $8.4 million guaranteed.

“Jauan was unbelievable,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “I think the numbers show it, but more than the numbers, he was a warrior throughout the game. He’s always that way, but he had a lot of opportunities today and he was automatic on every one of them.”

Jennings received touchdowns of 13 yards, 4 yards and 31 yards from Purdy, the last giving the 49ers a 21-7 lead with 7:01 remaining.

His first touchdown came on an open play where Aiyuk drew coverage toward him.

“It started with BA backside, and JJ kind of bluffed like he was blocking and slid down the seam,” Purdy said. “He was my second read and he was wide open. Great play call.”

Jennings did his most impressive work when he wasn’t alone. He managed to steal a ball from Quintin Lake for a 32-yard gain that helped set up the field goal that gave the 49ers a 24-13 lead with 11:57 left.

He made at least two catches where he was surrounded by three defenders, with Shanahan saying afterward that he wondered whether it was wise to throw the ball to him.

“Even on some bad shots, when I didn’t know if the ball was going to go there, you could see pretty quickly afterward that they weren’t going to take the ball away from Jauan,” Shanahan said. “He was very inspiring today with the way he played.”

According to Associated Press statistics expert Josh Dubow, only three 49ers receivers have ever had a game with 10 or more receptions, 175 or more yards and three or more touchdowns. The other two — Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens — are Hall of Famers.

Jennings caught 11 passes on 12 targets, a career-high. His previous career highs also came at SoFi Stadium as a rookie in the 2021 regular-season finale: six receptions for 94 yards with two touchdowns, a 24-yard pass from Jimmy Garoppolo and a 14-yarder on a reverse from Samuel.

The 49ers celebrated the day by winning 27-24 in overtime to clinch a playoff spot.

It was a reverse of last season’s Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs, when Jennings appeared poised to become the MVP, with the former Tennessee quarterback throwing a 21-yard touchdown pass to McCaffrey and catching a 10-yard pass from Purdy for a 16-13 lead early in the fourth quarter. The 49ers, of course, lost 25-22 in overtime.

“I love Jauan,” Purdy said. “Just the way he comes in and exudes energy and his love for the game, you can feel it. You can see it. I’ll go to war with him any day of the week.”

As for Aiyuk, he now has 10 receptions for 119 yards with no touchdowns in three games. It’s also interesting to note that he’s never had a game where he’s caught 11 passes. He’s never had a game where he’s scored three touchdowns. He’s never had a game with 175 receiving yards.

That’s not to say Aiyuk didn’t have an impact against the Rams, because with Samuel, Kittle and McCaffrey all out, he was certainly a focal point of the Rams’ defense on more plays than Jennings’ first touchdown. He was targeted 10 times, one fewer than Jennings.

Purdy said he simply went where the reads and progressions took him against the Rams, and where that took him rather than focusing on a specific receiver.

“I think it comes with the opportunities you get in look games,” Purdy said. “I’m not just saying, ‘We’re not ready yet, I’m not going to give him the ball.’ It has nothing to do with that. It’s, ‘What’s my read? Is this the right look here with BA?’ We’re putting together plans to put him in good position to win and get him the ball, but defenses do a good job of putting together plans, allowing me to go with my reads and I pass to other guys.”

“We’re going to continue to work to be on the same page. I love BA. He’s working really hard right now and I can tell you that we’re going to continue to grow together.”