Two 76-Yard Plays in One Game
The defending NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers won just one (!!) of their six Division games during the 2024 NFL season. The lone win came in Seattle against the Seahawks. Their two longest plays of the season were in that game. In the second quarter, Deebo Samuel had this 76-yard touchdown catch to extend the 49ers' lead to 10-0. It was the 49ers' longest pass reception of the season. In the process, Samuel became the first wide receiver in NFL history to have at least 20 career receiving touchdowns and 20 career rushing touchdowns.
Near the end of the game, rookie running back Isaac Guerendo had this game-sealing 76-yard run. While the run did not go for a touchdown, it was the 49ers' longest run of the season. Was it the longest non-touchdown run in 49ers' history? According to 49ers insider Matt Maiocco, the six longest running plays went for touchdowns. The sixth longest play went for 82 yards. Have the 49ers had a run with a length between 76 and 82 yards that did not go for a touchdown? With Samuel's and Guerendo's plays, the 49ers set a franchise-record for most plays of exactly 76 yards in a single game.
Aside from those two plays, Samuel and Guerendo were not very productive in 2024. Aside from the 76-yard touchdown catch, Samuel had just two touchdown receptions (one of them was impressive though) and a total of 594 receiving yards (a disappointing 39.6 yards/game for the former first-team all-Pro). Apart from the long run, Guerendo had 344 rushing yards on 83 carries (only 4.14 yards per carry).