Jarryd Hayne’s hopes of making a fairytale start to his NFL career slipped away when he fumbled his very first punt return on Monday, but the Australian rugby league convert settled and gave the San Francisco 49ers glimpses of his huge potential.
Hayne walked away from a glittering career in the top-flight National Rugby League (NRL) a year ago in a bid to realize his dream of playing in the NFL and earned a spot on the 49ers’ 53-man squad earlier this month.
After getting off to the worst possible start at Levi’s Stadium, Hayne, who had no prior experience of American football before this year, finished with four rushes for 13 yards, and one catch for seven yards in the 49ers’ 20-3 win over Minnesota.
With a large Australian media contingent live blogging his debut, Hayne took his chance to show off some of the powerful running skills that earned him two most valuable player awards in Australia’s NRL.
In addition to punt returns, Hayne was able to play several downs on offense after 49ers back-up rusher Reggie Bush went down with a leg injury.
The injury to Bush could also open the door for Hayne in the coming weeks.
Hayne announced that he would pursue a career in the NFL last October and San Francisco signed him to a three-year deal as an unrestricted free agent in March, though he was not guaranteed to make the team.
He sealed his spot on the roster with a head-turning pre-season that saw him impress at running back and as a punt returner.
Falcons win
After building a big lead behind top receiver Julio Jones, the Atlanta Falcons held off a second-half Philadelphia rally to beat the Eagles 26-24 at the Georgia Dome and give new coach Dan Quinn his first win.
Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan threw two touchdown passes to Jones in the first half, and kicker Matt Bryant connected on four field goals, including a go-ahead 47-yarder with 6:27 left in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles had two more chances but kicker Cody Parkey missed from 44 yards out and quarterback Sam Bradford threw his second interception of the game on Philadelphia's final drive.
Jones finished with nine receptions for 141 yards, including a 44-yard reception that set up Bryant’s last field goal.
Trailing 20-3, the Eagles grabbed the momentum early in the third quarter on safety Walter Thurmond’s interception of Ryan, which led to running back DeMarco Murray’s first touchdown as an Eagle, an eight-yard sweep.
Bradford led scoring drives of 95 and 80 yards, and the Eagles took the lead, 24-23, on a one-yard touchdown run by running back Ryan Mathews.
Bradford, in his Eagles debut, finished 36 of 52 for 336 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Murray gained just nine yards on eight carries but scored one touchdown on the ground and another on a five-yard reception.
Ryan completed 23 of 34 passes for 298 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Atlanta rookie running back Tevin Coleman produced 80 yards on 20 carries.
