San Francisco 49ers: Top 10 plays from 2018, Weeks 1 through 10
By Chris Wilson
49ers top play No. 3
Tight end George Kittle outruns the entire Chargers defense in the top play No. 3.
The Chargers’ defense knew Kittle was fast — but not necessarily that fast. Kittle was a defensive afterthought on this third-quarter play, as Los Angeles linebacker Kyle Emanuel allowed the tight end to release inside and reach the Chargers’ secondary untouched.
With the linebackers focused on the 49ers’ running backs’ late release, Kittle found himself in the open field — and Beathard quickly hit his favorite receiver in the hole in the zone between Emanuel, cornerback Casey Hayward and single-high safety Jahleel Addae.
What would have been a 30-yard reception by an average tight end turned into a foot race, as Kittle put a quick move on Addae before breaking inside toward the left side of the end zone. Unfortunately for the Chargers’ secondary, the 6-foot-5, 250 pound tight end isn’t just a great blocker, he’s also one of the NFL’s fastest players at his position.
No one would lay a hand on Kittle on his 82-yard catch-and-run touchdown, which currently stands as the NFL’s longest pass reception of the year, and was the league’s longest play from scrimmage over the first nine weeks of the 2018 season.
Kittle’s six-catch, 125-yard day was one of many electrifying performances from the tight end’s breakout sophomore season:
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