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          Brock Purdy TD pass to Ronnie Bell gives 49ers lead over Giants

          • Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff WriterSep 21, 2023, 09:38 PM ET
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              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
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          SANTA CLARA, Calif. - After a couple of up-and-down drives to open the game Thursday night, the San Francisco 49ers finally got rolling on their third possession as quarterback Brock Purdy found rookie receiver Ronnie Bell for the game's first touchdown.

          On third-and-5 at the Giants' 9, Purdy dropped back, identified a blitz coming from the left side and floated the pass toward the sideline as Bell came out of his break, leapt and hauled it in. For Bell, it's the first reception and touchdown of his young career after the Niners used a seventh-round pick on him.

          With starting receiver Brandon Aiyuk not playing because of a shoulder injury, Bell was taking on a bigger workload.

          Purdy was 6-for-7 for 101 yards and the touchdown on third downs through the Bell TD. That's already the most passing yards Purdy has had on third downs in any game of his NFL career, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

          Christian McCaffrey made it a two-score lead when he ran in from four yards out. The 49ers led 17-6 at the half.