3 positive takeaways from 49ers tough Week 15 loss to Falcons
By Peter Panacy
No. 1: George Kittle Is Still a Stud
OK, so George Kittle ultimately made a mistake which essentially cost the 49ers a win over Atlanta.
On a crucial 3rd-and-4 just inside the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter, and with the Niners up 19-17, Kittle admittedly tried shifting the ball from one arm to another to “get a stiff-arm in.”
San Francisco 49ers
Instead of simply going for the first-down marker, Kittle fumbled the ball, recovered it but came up short of the first down. San Francisco settled for a field goal, and the Falcons were able to drive the length of the field and score the game-winning touchdown, thanks to Julio Jones.
Had Kittle held onto the ball, it would have been likely an entirely different outcome for the 49ers.
But that doesn’t change the fact Kittle made a massive impact. Like, a 13-catch, 134-yard massive impact.
Jones might have won the game for Atlanta, yes. But Kittle managed to put himself in the record books on Sunday.
After Week 15, and still counting, Kittle now has 2,777 receiving yards, which broke Hall of Famer Mike Ditka’s previous record of 2,774 yards for the most by a tight end over his first three seasons at the pro level.
Kittle already broke former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski’s single-season record for receiving yards at his position by putting up 1,377 a year ago.
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So, while the loss stinks, at least Kittle putting his name on another record has to be pretty cool, right?