Michael Crabtree and Troy Smith connected for yet another big play Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers’ lottery-style offense connecting for a 60-yard touchdown reception to put them up by a score of 14-12 over the St. Louis Rams as halftime loomed.
For Crabtree it was his first reception of the afternoon; for Smith it was yet another instance of the inaccurate quarterback connecting deep with one of his many weapons, providing one of the biggest gaps in football between completion percentage and yards-per-attempt. After the catch he’s 3-for-8 with 89 yards passing and a touchdown. It’s a strong rebuke to the Rams’ offense—Sam Bradford is 12-for-17 with 124 yards.
Crabtree came into Week 16 with 45 receptions for 572 yards and five touchdowns. The 60-yard reception is the longest of the former tenth-overall pick’s career, and his eighth career touchdown. Replacing Alex Smith at quarterback, Troy Smith finds himself playing a game not unlike his dynamic first two starts for the 49ers; he’s been inaccurate, but it’s been made up by a series of big plays.