Kittle feels the love in powerhouse return
SANTA CLARA » As the 49ers came and went from the media interview room at Levi’s Stadium, they were met by the sounds of cheering fans excited to get a glimpse of their favorite players.
Usually the screams were a one-way phenomenon. But when George Kittle left the interview room Sunday night, he responded with a yell of his own that was even louder than what the fans produced.
The 49ers, their fans, the coaching staff — everyone — was overjoyed to have their Pro Bowl tight end back after a two-game absence because of knee and ankle injuries. Especially Kittle himself.
Playing on Sunday Night Football for the first time in this career, the third-year pro from Iowa collected six catches on six targets for 129 yards, including an emphatic 61-yard TD, in a 37-8 win that solidified the 49ers’ place atop the NFC.
“I think he’s one of the best, if not the best player in the league,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “I’ll be able to tell my kids someday that I played with that guy. He’s a special leader, a special player, and we’re very, very lucky to have ‘85’ back.”
Kittle was hurt on the first snap at Arizona on Halloween night. San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said Kittle’s knee had a popped capsule, while the bone in the ankle was chipped “like a piece of tree bark came off.”
“It’s still stable,” Shanahan said. “You can’t break (the ankle) worse, you can still go with it, but it’s extremely painful.”
When asked whether the ankle or the knee was more of an issue, Kittle responded: “I think they both looked good tonight.”
Kittle admitted he needed a
few series to shake the rust off, and the 49ers netted only 41 yards on their first five possessions. But Kittle finally got going midway through the second quarter. On back-to-back plays, he turned a 3-yard dump off into an 18-yard gain and then got 22 yards on a crossing pattern. The drive eventually resulted in a 27yard field goal with 2:55 remaining.
Then, when the 49ers got the ball back on their 48 with 24 seconds left, Jimmy Garoppolo hit Kittle over the middle again for a 22-yard gain, leading to a 48-yard field goal as time expired that put the home team up 23-0.
Those plays were just the appetizers. After Green Bay finally got on the board late in the third quarter, Kittle showed why he set the single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end last season.
While Garoppolo ran a bootleg to buy time, Kittle ran a post-corner that completely turned around defensive back Kevin King and created massive separation. Kittle caught Garoppolo’s pass at the 26 and got to the end zone before the Packers’ secondary could catch up.
“I had to unhitch the trailer to outrun some guys,” Kittle said.
The 61-yard completion matched the longest of Garoppolo’s career and the longest of the season for Kittle, who had two 80-yard TDs last season.
“He’s a tight end who can stretch the field,” McGlinchey said. “You don’t see tight ends beating defensive backs in stride like that. He’s got some special stuff in his body that allows him to do things like that, but he’s an even better leader and that’s what we missed just as much. He’s a warrior, man.”
Besides his energy on the sidelines, Kittle’s ability as a run blocker helped the 49ers gain 112 yards on the ground despite the continued absence of left tackle Joe Staley. The 49ers have at least 98 yards rushing in every game Kittle has played this season, and just 87 and 34 rushing yards in the two games he missed.
“Kittle helps out so much on the edges with our runs,” Shanahan said. “When he’s out there, we can stretch the defense more, which helps us get outside, and also helps us cut back. And when you get the run game going, a lot of his catches were off run actions. It opens up everything.”
After the game, Kittle said the pain from his ankle won’t keep him off the field.
“It’s football. It’s fine,” Kittle said. “It’s a mindset.”