How Kittle helped Jennings' TD ball get back to locker room

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49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo knew going into Philadelphia that the Niners would be facing a good Eagles defense. He opened up about how proud he was of his teammates for grinding out a nice 17-11 win.

Jauan Jennings was so overwhelmed that his first NFL catch was a touchdown that he forgot one important thing. 

The 49ers wide receiver admitted after the game that he didn’t know where the football he caught had gone. Luckily for the second-year wideout, George Kittle grabbed the memento while Jennings was celebrating and made sure it was in good hands. 

The All-Pro tight end gave the ball to Doc Dressler, for safekeeping. The 20-year equipment manager quickly packed it in one of the trunks for the long trip back home and then hand-delivered the precious cargo to Jennings’ locker. 

For Jennings, the journey from Tennessee to his Week 2 score was long. The wideout, who was selected in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft, suffered a severe hamstring strain in October of 2020 that kept him off the field for his entire rookie season. 

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Jennings was on the field with the 49ers' offense for six offensive snaps in the Week 1 win over the Detroit Lions but was never targeted. But Sunday, Jimmy Garoppolo found Jennings wide open on the left side of the field while Eagles defenders focused all of their energy on Kittle. As the last receiver in the quarterback's progressions, Jennings jogged into the endzone untouched. 

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Now, thanks to an assist from Kittle and Dressler, the enthusiastic receiver has the football to remember the moment forever. 

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