George Kittle had an unreal split from the Seahawks’ D on two TD sacks
George Kittle loves one thing more than anything in football, and the 49ers tight end accomplished the feat twice on Thursday night during his big game. against the Seattle Seahawks in the Lumen Field.
“There’s nothing like being wide open in football, because not much happens,” Kittle told reporters after San Francisco’s 21-13 win that won NFC West title.
Kittle scored two of the 49ers’ three touchdowns on the night thanks to the ingenuity of coach Kyle Shanahan and a pair of perfect passes. of rookie quarterback Brock Purdy. But Kittle’s separation from Seahawks defenders over the two plays might have been more impressive.
The 49ers’ first touchdown of the game featured what Shanahan referred to as the “Hollywood” play, and the first quarter’s 28-yard score couldn’t have been more perfectly executed by all involved.
What was Kittle’s first thought when he heard the call from Hollywood on Thursday?
“Touchdown, always,” Kittle said. “…Every time Kyle marks something that you know you’re going to get the ball, he tries to make it exist. So you have to say, ‘touchdown,’ just visualize it.
“It was actually perfect.”
Purdy’s fake left, then fake right, forced the entire Seattle backfield off the middle, leaving Kittle, who was pretending to be just a blocker on the play, wide open for the touchdown.
Shanahan applauded Kittle’s Oscar-worthy performance after the game, and the coach noted a change the 49ers made in running the play against the Los Angeles Rams in 2018. Instead of Kittle faking a cut block up front, the wing closed stayed up this time.
“The play is called ‘Hollywood’ because Kittle is supposed to do a good acting job,” Shanahan said. “We’ve done it in the past where it goes down, so they really forget about it. Sometimes, I think it’s too obvious when it falls. …
“He did a good job of acting without falling to the ground, and we had the right look.”
On his second touchdown of the game in the third quarter, Kittle was again wide open and received a 54-yard pass from Purdy home.
And for the second time, their separation was incredible.
Kittle’s two-touchdown game was the third of his career with two or more receiving touchdowns, two of which have come this season.
His big night also put him in the 49ers record books, marking the most games with two touchdowns of 25 or more yards in a season by a San Francisco player since wide receiver Terrell Owens had a pair. in 2001.
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And there is more
Kittle’s 54-yard touchdown run was also the longest by an NFL tight end this season, and his 5,082 receiving yards this season make him the ninth 49ers player and third tight end in franchise history to Record 5,000 or more career receiving yards.
the tight end he really is a special player with and without the ball in his hands, and according to Next Gen Stats, his 714 yards after expected catch since 2018 trails another NFL player: 49ers teammate Deebo Samuel (773).
Have a night, and a run, open Kittle.