San Francisco 49ers: Breaking down the 20 biggest moments of the decade

No. 18: George Kittle takes the Saints for a ride

The most modern moment on the list, the human highlight reel that is tight end George Kittle, has already produced some big moments for the 49ers.

This one is still freshly seared in the memories of fans. The Niners were in a tough situation at the New Orleans Saints late in 2019, where a win would give San Francisco the tiebreaker, while a loss would almost certainly erase the dreams of winning the NFC.

In what was an instant classic, the 49ers were down 45-46 with 39 seconds to go and on 4th-and-2 on their own 33-yard line.

The plan was obvious: get to ball to Kittle and let him do the work.

They gave the ball to Kittle, and he did the work:

Kittle did a short out route and got the catch, instantly making one defender miss. He ran up the field, then stiff-armed a second Saints defender before a third and fourth defender caught up and played the weirdest game of piggyback ever seen.

Kittle still kept going, with three opponents on him (and his facemask being twisted violently), he didn’t go down until he was on the Saints 27-yard line. Tack on the 15 yards for the facemask, and the 49ers kicked the field goal for a 48-46 win and what eventually was a Week 17 showdown with the Seahawks for the No. 1 seed, which would not have happened without this play.

Kittle is a special player, and this play showcases what everybody loves about him.