Somehow, the San Francisco 49ers squeaked out a 17-13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday thanks in part to… Jake Tonges?
That’s right, the third-string tight end stepped up in a major way filling in for an injured George Kittle, and the Niners may need more of that from him.
Tonges caught three passes for 15 yards, including what turned out to be a deciding touchdown in the last two minutes of the game. Quarterback Brock Purdy scrambled around frantically on 3rd-and-goal and seemed to almost throw the ball up for grabs into the corner of the end zone.
It could have been picked, off but Tonges swooped in and made the catch to give San Francisco the lead:
Jake Tonges had never caught a pass in the NFL before today.
He has three today. Including this one 🙌 pic.twitter.com/g1xMS2UXub
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025
It was a wild play, given the circumstances. But the way Tonges stepped up on that final drive with the game on the line should give the Niners at least a little confidence that they can get some production at tight end if Kittle has to miss an extended period of time.
Luke Farrell is the teams second-string tight end, but he was brought in to be more of a blocker rather than a pass catcher.
Tonges, a graduate of Cal who grew up in nearby Los Gatos, California, does not have a huge pass-catching background either. He caught 47 passes across four seasons with the Golden Bears for 620 yards and four touchdowns.
If Kittle does miss time with the hamstring strain, don't expect Tonges to get 10 targets a game or anything like that.
However, he could definitely factor in as a sneaky option for Purdy to target with other teams likely to be focused on the likes of star offensive weapons, such as Christian McCaffrey or Ricky Pearsall.
The fact that an unlikely hero like Tonges, a guy with ties to the Bay Area who had to fight for a spot on the team, can emerge in a huge way against a hated foe like Seattle is what makes football great.
He may be a far cry from Kittle, but do not be shocked to see Purdy throw to Tonges more going forward especially as the team deals with other injuries as well.