George Kittle played a key role in the San Francisco 49ers securing a 26-23 overtime win against the Cincinnati Bengals. On Sunday, Kittle recorded 151 yards on 13 receptions and a touchdown in the passing game.
"George showed out today, he really did," quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said. "When you have a guy like that you can lean on, it's a nice feeling as a quarterback."
One of the most clutch catches of the night came by way of the tight end, who kept San Francisco's overtime drive alive on third down. Not even expecting to catch the ball, Kittle "baseball slid" to the right of Bengals defenders who kept him free from Cincinnati safety Vonn Bell. The play gained the 49ers offense nine yards and a first down. On the ensuing play, San Francisco capitalized on the fresh set of downs with a game-winning touchdown to Brandon Aiyuk.
"That's a different dude," Aiyuk said of the tight end. "Huge third down plays, just plays all over the field… that's a special dude – real special dude."
Kittle's performance over the last two weeks has made its way into NFL history books. In Week 13 against the Seattle Seahawks, the All-Pro tight end logged 181 yards on nine catches and two touchdowns. This Sunday, his 151-yard game made him the only tight end in the modern era with back-to-back games of at least 150 receiving yards.
"I know that when coach Shanahan calls my name I've just got to go out there and execute," said Kittle. "When you have that opportunity you've just got to make the play, and fortunately I made the play more than I didn't make it tonight."
Kittle has eclipsed 100 receiving yards in a single game for the third time this season and the 13th time in his career. He has also surpassed 150 receiving yards in a single game for the fourth time in his career and the second time this season.
On the year, Kittle has now amassed 757 yards and six touchdowns through 10 games. The tight end is just 243 yards shy of recording his third-career 1,000-yard season with four games left on the 49ers 2021 slate.
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