2020 was a fairly forgettable season for the 49ers, but there were still three catches along the way that were memorable enough to be included in the NFL's collection of the top 100 catches of the year.
The collection was released to the NFL's YouTube account on February 19 and included catches from wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, tight end Jordan Reed, and tight end George Kittle, with Reed and Kittle's catches cracking the top 20. Here's a look at the 49ers catches that made their list.
C.J. Beathard and Kendrick Bourne's meaningless-but-still-cool Hail Mary completion (ranked 68th overall)
This play came as time expired in the 49ers' 41-33 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on December 20. Chances are it would have ranked higher had it made a greater impact on the outcome of the game, but it's still fun to look at nonetheless. Down 41-27 with seven seconds remaining in the game, C.J. Beathard fired a pass over 60 yards in the air to the end zone, which was grabbed by a leaping Kendrick Bourne amid half a dozen Cowboys defenders for the touchdown.
Well that's certainly one way to end it...
C.J. Beathard comes in for a Hail Mary and hits Kendrick Bourne for a TD as time expires pic.twitter.com/hRs5C4eLSu
— KNBR (@KNBR) December 20, 2020
Jordan Reed's one-hander against the New Orleans Saints (ranked 20th overall)
Reed had a handful of highlights for the 49ers in 2020, with this one topping the list. He made this one-handed catch early in the second quarter in the 49ers' 27-13 loss in New Orleans on November 15, palming the tip of the ball to narrowly save a third-down Nick Mullens pass from hitting the turf. The pass wasn't enough to get the 49ers a first down, but it was clearly one heck of an effort from Reed.
Oh my. @JR86
📺: #SFvsNO on FOX
— NFL (@NFL) November 15, 2020
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/p1akRoFoep pic.twitter.com/FWOEcMApX4
George Kittle's incredible one-hander against the Seattle Seahawks (ranked 4th overall)
As nice as Reed's catch was, there's no doubt this one tops it. Kittle made this catch in the third quarter of the 49ers' 26-23 loss to the Seahawks in the season finale. Kittle spun around to make a one-handed grab of a pass from Beathard, then held on as he tumbled to the turf. The catch set up a field goal to give the 49ers a 9-6 lead and instantly went down as one of the highlight plays of Kittle's career.
ri·dic·u·lous @gkittle46 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Er6qqRVaaE
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 3, 2021
Which catches were good enough in the NFL's mind to top that one? The number three catch was a falling-to-the-ground touchdown grab by Cowboys receiver Cee Dee Lamb against the Vikings, followed at number two by a one-handed touchdown grab by Titans receiver A.J. Brown on a flea-flicker against the Jaguars. Number one should come as no surprise -- the famous Hail Murray pass, which saw Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray connect with DeAndre Hopkins for a game-winning Hail Mary against the Bills.
Click here to check out the entire video at YouTube.
(h/t FieldGulls)
