Second-year wide receiver Dante Pettis saw just two snaps when the San Francisco 49ers opened up their 2019 campaign against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Niners won that game, then went on to win in dominant fashion over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2.
Yet Pettis wasn't much of a factor in Cincinnati either, stemming largely from two key factors: San Francisco's budding-if-still-unproven depth at wide receiver, along with more than a handful of reports head coach Kyle Shanahan wasn't pleased with Pettis' efforts in his second year at the pro level.
Early on, as the 49ers were hosting the winless Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3, things looked as if Pettis would still be under the microscope for all the wrong reasons.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo attempted to hit Pettis on a slant at the 4:52 mark of the first quarter. Being under pressure forced Garoppolo to rush the throw, which still managed to hit Pettis' hands. Only the ball bounced off, right into the hands of newly acquired Steelers defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick:
Jimmy Garoppolo gets hit just after he throws, leading to the interception by Minkah Fitzpatrick. #Steelers ball. #49ers #49wz #PITvsSF pic.twitter.com/OOD4aTMvVk
— Peter Panacy (@PeterPanacy) September 22, 2019
Not the best start for Pettis, who finished the first half with a mere three yards on two receptions.
Pettis added only two more catches in the second half. But it was the final one which made all the difference -- a 5-yard touchdown from Garoppolo, which gave the 49ers a 24-20 lead and proved to be the game winner:
THERE IT IS! @dmainy_13 TD for the lead 🙌 #GoNiners pic.twitter.com/AjcztranO0
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 22, 2019
"We all know how he finished last year," head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters of Pettis after the game. "He had a few little bumps in the road throughout training camp, which I think has been well documented and I've talked about.
"But I've been extremely impressed with how he's responded since the first week of the season."
Over the final five games of 2018, Pettis finished with an average of 71.8 receiving yards per game, which if was averaged out over a full season, would equate to nearly 1,150 yards. But over the first three weeks of this season, Pettis' totals leave a lot to be desired. So far, including Week 3, Pettis has just five catches for 27 yards. And four of those grabs came against Pittsburgh.
Still, recording a game-winning catch has to give Pettis some confidence moving forward, and it appears as if his quarterback is noticing, too.
"Dante ran a great route," Garoppolo said of the game-winning score. "He came out of the huddle with some speed. I think [the Steelers] were a little confused with their adjustments and everything, and Dante made a great step back to the ball. He caught it in the end zone.
"It was awesome."
Pettis is still trying to carve out a role for himself on the 49ers offense. Fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel has seen an uptick in playing time, essentially taking over Pettis' role with the starters. Samuel, the rookie, finished Sunday's contest with three catches for 44 yards.
Still, Pettis' final grab counted the most.
"Dante's earned it," Shanahan continued.
And after helping San Francisco come from behind against the Steelers, Pettis probably earned a bit more playing time in the future, too.
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Written by:Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
