Sometimes, it's the unlikeliest people who end up being the heroes. The San Francisco 49ers came into Week 1 of the NFL season already short-handed in the pass-catching department. Those injury struggles got worse when wide receiver Jauan Jennings (shoulder) and tight end George Kittle (hamstring) were ruled out due to injuries.
In their absence, an unlikely hero emerged for the 49ers: third-string tight end Jake Tonges. Despite coming into the game with zero career receptions, the tight end caught three passes for a total of fifteen yards. It was his final catch of the game, though, that stood out.
With the 49ers down by three points, the offense needed a touchdown. With their depleted lineup, going into overtime would have been a death sentence for the team. Quarterback Brock Purdy threw a pass to Tonges in the end zone. Despite being deflected by Riq Woolen, Tonges came up with the ball, a touchdown that would end up becoming the game-winner.
In making that catch, Tonges etched himself into NFL history. The 49ers tight end ended up being the first NFL player post-merger to catch a touchdown pass within two minutes after having no catches the season prior.
“#49ers TE Jake Tonges is the first player since the 1970 merger to make a game-winning touchdown catch in the final two minutes of a season opening game when coming off a 0 reception season (or career in his case),” Nick Wagoner posted on X.
An undrafted free agent from the 2022 draft class, Tonges is in his second year with the 49ers. Last season, the tight end saw burn in 16 games, but was never a starter. Instead, Tonges spent most of his time as a special teamer; he was in 55% of San Francisco's special teams possessions.
With the 49ers all out of options against the Seahawks, they decided to roll with Tonges for the game. The move ended up paying dividends, as the tight end snagged two clutch catches, including the game-winner, to seal the win.
Should Kittle continue to miss more time, Tonges might get some more burn as a key part of the 49ers offense. He likely won't a long-term starter (San Francisco could end up trading for a tight end), but this game has shown that they have a reliable pass-catcher if things don't fall their way.
