SEATTLE -- After the San Francisco 49ers installed their offensive game plan last week, it would have surprised nobody in their locker room if a tight end came down with the winning catch Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
The assumption, however, based on how George Kittle-centric that game plan was, would have been that it was No. 85 hauling it in.
Alas, after Kittle departed with 10:06 left in the second quarter with a hamstring injury that will require an MRI in the next 24 hours, it was third-string tight end Jake Tonges who saved the day.
Before Sunday, Tonges had never even made a catch in a regular-season NFL game and had been targeted just once since entering the league as an undrafted free agent out of California in 2022. Yet when quarterback Brock Purdy found himself scrambling around with the Niners down a field goal at Seattle's 4-yard line with 1:44 to go, he saw Tonges flash in the back right corner of the end zone.
Purdy lofted it in Tonges' direction, though Seattle cornerback Riq Woolen looked poised to make the game-sealing interception. Instead, Tonges attacked the ball in the air, reaching in front of Woolen to haul it in, getting two feet down and then taking a moment to realize what had just happened.
From Tonges' perspective, it all happened in slow motion.
"I went up, I caught it, looked down at my feet, made sure I was in bounds and kind of looked around for some flags, and it was silent because we are on the road," Tonges said. "I think [receiver] Russell Gage was like, 'You scored.' ... I didn't believe it."
When the reality of what Tonges later called his first career game-winning touchdown set in, he spiked the ball and celebrated with his teammates.
It was a moment Tonges, who went to high school in Los Gatos, California, just a 20-minute drive from Levi's Stadium, probably wouldn't have had were it not for the injury to Kittle. As the opening quarter-plus showed, the 49ers entered Sunday's meeting with the Seahawks intent on getting Kittle heavily involved in the passing game. After all, since Purdy took over as the starter in 2022, Kittle had four touchdown catches in his previous three games in Seattle.
Kittle looked poised for another big outing Sunday, making four catches for 25 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown on San Francisco's opening drive. But Kittle slowly hobbled off the field after running a route deep down Seattle's sideline on a play in which Purdy was sacked by safety Julian Love.
After going into the blue medical tent for a few minutes, Kittle emerged with a baseball cap on and his helmet in hand. He was officially ruled out moments later, leaving the Niners to figure out how best to divvy up snaps between Tonges and Luke Farrell, the only two healthy tight ends remaining on the roster.
"Losing Kittle in that game was big for us," coach Kyle Shanahan said. "He was a huge part of the game plan as you guys saw earlier. [We had] to move some guys around, and those guys stepped up big, man, especially at the end, the game winner. [I'm] real proud of him."
By the end of the game, an argument could be made that Tonges was the receiver or tight end available with whom Purdy had worked the most over the past two-plus years. Veteran wideout Jauan Jennings, who recently returned from a calf injury and a contract impasse, left the game with 14:50 to play holding his left shoulder on a play that ended with an illegal contact penalty on Love. Jennings did not return and, like Kittle, is scheduled for further imaging Monday.
If Jennings misses any serious time, it could again leave the Niners -- already without Brandon Aiyuk (knee) and Demarcus Robinson (suspension) -- with little receiver depth. Shanahan indicated after the game that a reunion with free agent wideout Kendrick Bourne still could be in the offing.
"I know he hasn't signed with anyone, so I know it's a possibility we can get him," Shanahan said. "I know we're still trying. Hopefully, that can work out."
Tonges signed with San Francisco in 2023 after one season with the Chicago Bears. He spent time on the practice squad before making the active roster in 2024. But Tonges' playing time had mostly been limited to special teams as he had appeared in 16 games with the Niners in 2024, playing only 34 offensive snaps and running a total of seven routes all of last season.
On Sunday, Tonges played 31 offensive snaps, ran 15 routes, was targeted three times and finished with three catches for 15 yards and a touchdown.
Purdy's TD throw to him had a 14.7% completion probability, the lowest of any pass in Week 1 entering "Sunday Night Football" and the lowest on any completion of the QB's career, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
"He's been a consistent guy all throughout the last year in camp, and George goes down today and then -- boom -- he's ready for his opportunity," Purdy said. "We all love Jake. He's a smart kid and he's a brother to us, so we're going to keep moving forward."
For a brief moment, it appeared Tonges' go-ahead catch would be rendered a footnote as Seattle drove into San Francisco territory in the closing moments. But with 42 seconds left, defensive end Nick Bosa forced Seahawks right tackle Abe Lucas into quarterback Sam Darnold's lap, jarring the ball loose as Bosa fell on it to seal the win. Bosa's play set off a wild celebration as the Niners opened the season 1-0, and Tonges went home with the touchdown ball a member of the Niners equipment staff had secured for him.
Not that Tonges immediately knew where he would put it.
"I got to get some type of trophy case or a shelf or something," Tonges said. "We'll see."