George Kittle makes 49ers, NFL history on National TE Day

It was National Tight Ends Day on Sunday, with no-one more happy to celebrate the holiday than George Kittle.

The San Francisco 49ers star went off Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys, eclipsing six catches for a team-high 128 receiving yards. He also added a touchdown for good measure, his sixth score of the 2024 season. But Kittle’s impact was more than just getting opened. The veteran TE sparked the 49ers’ offense in the third quarter, leading to 21 unanswered points, and eventually the win for San Francisco.

On a day earmarked for tight ends everywhere, George Kittle was the man Sunday, reminding the NFL world he remains one of the best in the business.

⛏️ 6 catches
⛏️ 128 yards
⛏️ 1 TD

George Kittle capped off a tremendous #NationalTightEndsDay pic.twitter.com/cZoWD2CUrq

— NFL (@NFL) October 28, 2024

“Kittle’s the man,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said postgame. “Especially on his holiday, he usually does better. But there were a couple things in the first half that he, just like Brock, that he missed. A couple he would’ve loved to have back, and he came back in the second half and just played as good as you can.”

The 49ers’ offense as a whole struggled in the first 30 minutes of Week 8, Kittle included. But after scoring only six points at halftime, SF changed course to close out the night. That was in large part to the tight end’s play.

George Kittle was the catalyst in the second half, coming out of the gate with a 43-yard catch and run to put the 49ers at the 4-yard-line. Running back Isaac Guerendo finished the job a player later to take the lead. The next series, George Kittle scored his TD from two yards away. The series after that, he got open for a 27-yard gain. Quarterback Brock Purdy would punch it in to make it 27-10 in a blink of an eye.

While football is a team sport, Kittle’s catches ignited the 49ers’ offense, making life as easy as ever for everyone around him (except the defense).

“He did a great job just doing his job, creating some separation,” Purdy said about Kittle. “You get the ball in their hands, five, six yards and they make one guy miss it could be a big gain. And that’s what he does really great. So definitely blessed to have George on my team.”

George Kittle not only had a big game, but also set records in the process.

Week 8 against the Cowboys saw the 31-year-old climb up the history books. First, Kittle reached 500 career receptions, the fourth-fastest TE to do so in NFL history. The 500 mark was also one for team history, becoming the fifth 49er to have 500 or more catches in franchise history. And to put a bow on his historic night, the Iowa alum passed the late, great Dwight Clark for third-most receiving yards in 49ers’ history (6,777).

George Kittle keeps making 49ers’ history 🔥 pic.twitter.com/spYkHGjpov

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 28, 2024

To put it simply: George Kittle is indeed the man, and will likely be a 49ers’ hall-of-famer when all things are said and done.

“It’s an honor,” he said postgame. “I’m thankful that I get to be a part of an organization with a very high standard of how they play football. I’m thankful that they’ve kept me around for a long time and every single day striving to be better than I was the day before and continually prove that…To be on a list with any of those names, any list that you’re on with Jerry Rice is a good thing. To be with all those other guys is fantastic. It’s an honor and I learned in college that you want to leave your jersey in a better place. That’s all I’m striving to do every single day and I know all those guys did that.”

San Francisco 49ers 2024 Schedule:

Regular Season

• Week 9 Bye Week
• Sunday, November 10th @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 10 am PDT
• Sunday, November 17th vs. Seattle Seahawks – 1:05 pm PDT
• Sunday, November 24th @ Green Bay Packers – 1:25 pm PDT
• Sunday, December 1st @ Buffalo Bills [SNF] – 5:20 pm PDT

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