<
        >

          NFL Nation

          Niners go deep on fourth down for opening TD against Ravens

          • Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff WriterDec 1, 2019, 06:23 PM
            Close
              Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers and the NFL at ESPN since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In his 10 years with the company, Nick has led ESPN's coverage of the Niners' 2019 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick's protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam's subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team's relocation and stadium saga. You can follow Nick via Twitter @nwagoner
            Follow on X

          BALTIMORE -- Entering Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, the Baltimore Ravens had not allowed a point on every opponent’s opening possession all season.

          San Francisco receiver Deebo Samuel changed that less than three minutes into Sunday’s matchup.

          Facing fourth-and-2 at Baltimore’s 33 on what, to that point, had been a choppy drive, Niners quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo dropped back and let a deep pass fly down the right sideline.

          With multiple Baltimore defenders in the area, Samuel attacked the ball in front of a flat-footed Marcus Peters, snatched it out of the air and scurried into the end zone for a touchdown and a quick 7-0 lead.

          Samuel, who has been one of the Niners’ most consistent offensive performers of late, now has at least 100 receiving yards or a touchdown in each of his past four games. Through the first seven games of the season, he had zero 100-yard games and one receiving touchdown.

          Samuel’s touchdown was the fourth-longest fourth-down play by the 49ers since Colin Kaepernick completed a 51-yard pass to Michael Crabtree against the Saints in 2014.