Ted Ginn had one of the most memorable minutes in NFL history on Sunday.
With 3:56 remaining in the 49ers’ victory over the Seahawks, Ginn returned a kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown. And then with 3:05 remaining, Ginn returned a punt 55 yards for a touchdown.
Those 14 fourth-quarter points from Ginn turned what was becoming a close game in San Francisco into a blowout, as the 49ers won 33-17.
Ginn finished the day with 176 kickoff return yards and 92 punt return yards, and he showed once again that while he’s never going to be the No. 1 receiver the Dolphins thought he would become when they spent a Top 10 draft pick on him in 2007, he’s one of the best return men in football. Ginn now has six return touchdowns in his NFL career, three on punts and three on kickoffs.
It was Ginn who provided the exclamation point, but new 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh also has to be pleased with his quarterback, Alex Smith, who was quietly efficient with 15 completions on 20 attempts, for 124 yards, without any turnovers.
New Seahawks quarterback Tarvaris Jackson had his moments while completing 21 of 37 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns, but he threw an interception and lost two fumbles. The Seahawks need Jackson to get better in a hurry.
The 49ers will need Smith to get better, too, and they’ll also need more from their talented receiving corps, as Braylon Edwards and Michael Crabtree didn’t do anything of note. But the 49ers are 1-0, and they have a major big-play threat in Ginn.