Niners Nation
Weeks ago, the history the 49ers were making was games without an interception. This is history that is much more satisfying. And it’s a history that started with Hollywood.
Brock Purdy finished Sunday’s 41-22 win over the Arizona Cardinals 19-26 (73 percent completion), 200 yards passing, three touchdowns, and a passer rating of 133.5. So while Purdy’s stat line may be a bit pedestrian, two of those touchdowns made history because those two pushed him to 23 touchdown connections with tight end George Kittle. So, what does 23 touchdowns mean? Well, that puts them past Steve Young and Brent Jones and in second place for most quarterback-tight end touchdowns in franchise history.
So who holds the record? Alex Smith and Vernon Davis with 30. That duo was brewing long before Jim Harbaugh came to salvage an underachieving roster. The most memorable play from them is, of course, The Catch III.
That was also George Kittle’s 50th touchdown. He is now the third player in 49ers history with 500 receptions and 50 touchdowns. The other two? Terrell Owens and Jerry Rice. Both are wide receivers.
Kittle, a tight end, has joined the ranks that only wide receivers playing for the 49ers have been in.
Of course, just as interesting as these numbers are, what’s also fascinating is where the Purdy-Kittle connection began. It didn’t start with some random goal-line dart or a blown-coverage heave. Purdy’s first game, where he stepped in under center, was against the Miami Dolphins in 2022. After that was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kittle didn’t have a touchdown in either of those games. Instead, the Purdy-Kittle connection started in Week 15 of 2022 against the Seattle Seahawks with a little-known play that the Seahawks try to copy nowadays called “Hollywood”:
Yep, that very play, which was awesome when it happened, was the play that started all of this madness. Now the two are No. 2 behind Smith and Davis for most touchdowns between a quarterback and tight end.
It all began with Hollywood, and we don’t know when this thing will end. Seven more touchdowns and they will have the most. To say that could happen this year isn’t a stretch either.
