SF 49ers: Counting down the top 10 plays of 2020 season
By Robert Smith
SF 49ers Top Play No. 2: Raheem Mostert has the need for speed
Long run plays in football are just fun to watch. Some may remember seeing Tony Dorsett of the Dallas Cowboys take a handoff 99 yards on Monday Night Football years ago, and the excitement that play had on the fans at the stadium.
Others also remember a 1998 SF 49ers season-opener when running back Garrison Hearst burst through a hole for a 96-yard touchdown run that broke a 30-30 tie in overtime and gave the Niners an opening-week victory against the NY Jets.
Fast forward 22 years, and the Niners were opening Week 2 on the road against the Jets.
On the first play from scrimmage, running back Raheem Mostert took a pitch from Jimmy Garoppolo and, following a fullback Kyle Juszczyk block, flew untouched down the right sideline for an 80-yard touchdown:
He was clocked at 23.09 miles per hour on the run, according to Next Gen Stats, which is the fastest speed reached by a player since 2018. Interestingly enough, Mostert owns the two fastest times recorded by Next Gen Stats this season, the No. 2 fastest being a 76-yard touchdown he scored in Week 1 against the Cardinals.
While Mostert struggled with health this season, it reinforced the belief the front office placed in him being the featured back in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
With a healthy return in 2021, hopefully, highlights like this become a recurring event for Mostert and the SF 49ers’ next season and beyond.