Nick WagnerESPN staff writer2 min read
PITTSBURGH — San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has waited six months to the day to return from offseason elbow surgery. It took 5 1/2 minutes for him to throw his first touchdown pass.
After the Niners’ defense got a three-pointer on the opening possession, the Niners quickly raced to Pittsburgh’s 8. On first-and-goal, Purdy dropped back, scanned the field and found Brandon Aiyuk wide open in the end zone. For an 8-yard touchdown. The extra point made it 7-0 Niners with 9:29 remaining in the first quarter.
A red-hot Purdy rushed toward the San Francisco sideline, pounded his chest and let out a guttural scream. He was 3 of 3 for 25 yards and a score on the opening drive.
It was the first time since 2014 that the 49ers scored on their opening drive of the first game of the regular season and Aiyuk’s 19th career touchdown catch, which tied for most on the team in that span.
Aiyuk and Purdy connected again with 13:30 remaining in the second quarter as Purdy sent a pass down the right sideline and into the front corner of the end zone. Aiyuk jumped over cornerback Patrick Peterson, pulled it in and scored on two feet for the score. The extra point put San Francisco up 17-0.
“Alcohol enthusiast. Twitter ninja. Tv lover. Falls down a lot. Hipster-friendly coffee geek.”