S.F. rides Kittle to big victory
player at his position in franchise history. Kittle’s yardage total was the third most by a tight end in NFL history and was the eighth most by a player in 49ers’ history.
He was the best player on a field that included Denver’s All-Pro pass rusher Von Miller, a six-time Pro Bowl linebacker who repeatedly said his team was slayed by Kittle.
“There aren’t too many tight ends in the league that can do that,” Miller said. “We knew coming into the game that he was going to be talented, but the plays he made today, he just killed us. … He just killed us.”
Kittle, a 2017 fifth-round pick who is looking like one of the best selections in that draft, arrived needing 73 yards to break Vernon Davis’ franchise record for receiving yards (965) by a tight end. Kittle needed less than 15 minutes to do that.
Before halftime, he’d broken Davis’ standard for receiving yards (180) by a 49ers tight end in a game and had broken his own record for longest touchdown reception by a tight end in franchise history. Kittle had an 82-yard score in a loss to the Chargers on Sept. 30.
His performance was exhilarating — Kittle used the phrase “really fun” three times to describe his touchdown — and agonizing: His 210 yards all came in the first half, and he finished 5 yards shy of breaking Shannon Sharpe’s 16-year-old NFL record for receiving yards by a tight end.
After Kittle was targeted with just one overthrown pass in the second half, Shanahan apologized to him, although he initially told a different story: “I told him he needed to apologize for not getting 215 in the first half. No, I’m just joking.”
Quarterback Nick Mullens said he thought about Kittle during his last-minute kneeldowns: “I thought about throwing him a pass there. No, I’m kidding.”
Sunday marked one of the few times the 49ers (3-10) could joke after a game this season. And it wasn’t just Kittle who was responsible for the upset of Denver (6-7), which is fighting for a wildcard berth.
The 49ers’ defense, which arrived ranked 29th in the NFL in points allowed, pitched a first-half shutout, and the 49ers led 20-0 at halftime. Meanwhile, there was the performance of the QB tossing those passes to Kittle.
Mullens, who began the season on the practice squad, completed 20 of 33 passes for 332 yards with two touchdowns and an interception that wasn’t his fault: His ontarget, third-quarter pass caromed off Trent Taylor’s hands and was corralled by safety Darian Stewart.
After five career starts, the 2017 undrafted free agent is averaging 295.8 passing yards per game and has a 93.5 passer rating. He has thrown for 746 yards in his past two starts, which is the most by a 49ers quarterback since Joe Montana had 794 in October 1990.
And Kittle? He’s busy putting up wide-receiver numbers: His 1,103 receiving yards are already the most by a 49er since Anquan Boldin in 2013.
The only thing Kittle was missing Sunday was a secondhalf catch that would put him in the NFL record book.
“Four yards,” Kittle said. “Halfway through the fourth quarter, someone told me that. I was like, ‘Oh, really, that would be fun. Next time.’ ”
Could there be a next time for Kittle? Yeah, just ask Shanahan and Staley — they’ll tell you, he’s really that good.