George Kittle was a rare bright spot in the 49ers’ 31-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday.
The veteran tight end caught nine passes for 149 yards and made 49ers history as he became the franchise’s leader in all-time receiving yards at his position.
Kittle’s 5,697 career receiving yards put him above former 49ers tight end Vernon Davis, who previously held San Francisco’s record with 5,640 yards.
Kittle has accomplished the feat in a relatively short time, reaching his yardage mark after only 90 games across seven seasons. For comparison, Davis’ yards came after 139 games in 10 seasons.
San Francisco’s current tight end and former All-Pro has been a staple in the 49ers’ offense since they selected him out of Iowa with the 146th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Across Kittle’s seven-year career, he has accumulated 427 receptions and 34 touchdowns, averaging 4.7 grabs per game.
It’s fitting that Kittle now sits atop the list of 49ers’ tight end receiving yards, as he averages 13.3 yards per reception, which has resulted in 267 first downs and thousands of yards.
Although the 49ers started the season 5-0 and have since gone 0-3, Kittle is on pace for another excellent season.
So far this year, Kittle has 32 catches for 443 yards and three touchdowns.
As the 49ers head into their Week 9 bye it’s clear that Kittle isn’t something coach Kyle Shanahan has to worry about. The tight end continues to make plays, but in Week 8, he decided to make history.
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