Former Tennessee WR Jauan Jennings throws brilliant TD pass to give 49ers lead in playoff game
By David Wasson
Published:
The San Francisco 49ers went deep into their playbook Sunday night in an effort to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs – thanks to former Tennessee wide receiver Jauan Jennings.
Jennings uncorked a jet sweep-reverse pass for a 29-yard touchdown pass to 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey to stun the defending champion Eagles on the opening play of the fourth quarter for a 17-16 lead at Lincoln Financial Field.
Jennings’ pass wasn’t his first pass attempt for San Francisco, nor was it his first touchdown pass – as he famously fired a 21-yard touchdown pass to McCaffrey in Super Bowl LVIII against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Jennings became the second player in NFL history to throw for and catch a touchdown in a Super Bowl that day against the Chiefs, joining former Philadelphia quarterback Nick Foles.
Jennings played in 15 regular-season games for San Francisco in 2025, catching 55 passes on 90 targets for 643 yards and a career-best nine touchdowns. In his five-year NFL career, Jennings has 210 receptions for 2,581 yards and 22 TDs.
Jennings was a seventh-round draft pick by the 49ers in 2020 (No. 217 overall) after a collegiate career at Tennessee that saw him catch 146 passes for 2,153 yards and 18 touchdowns. He played quarterback in high school at Blackman High School in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
