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San Francisco 49ers: 2019 regular-season awards

By Nathan Bannerman

Tight end George Kittle #85 of the San Francisco 49ers. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Tight end George Kittle #85 of the San Francisco 49ers. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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San Francisco 49ers
George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /

Most Valuable Player: George Kittle

George Kittle puts the word “valuable” in MVP.

I’ve been a vocal advocate of having Kittle be at least in the running for the 2019 NFL MVP award. Obviously and rightfully so, the award will be given to Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

But Kittle should at least get some consideration.

Kittle put up another 1,000 yards and five touchdowns for the second straight year. But he brings more to the lineup than just those stats. He’s a huge part of the run game. He’s a big, physical body who loves to hit and loves to block. During the 49ers’ eight-game win streak, their run game was at the very top of the league.

Most of that was because of Kittle.

He’s a guy who is strong, quick and has an extremely high football IQ. His most impressive game will undoubtedly be the Week 14 matchup against the New Orleans Saints. He didn’t light up the stat sheet like he did back in Week 12, but this game was all about one play:

https://twitter.com/49ers/status/1203807545602633729

The 49ers needed at least a first down to have a shot at the victory. Kittle did more than just get them a first down. His speed gave him separation from the defender at the first-down marker and he quickly turned up field. His strength to not only keep running while being tackled but while getting his helmet almost ripped off his head, is something only seen in movies.

Kittle has already been honored with a Pro Bowl selection and just recently was selected as a first-team All-Pro. He’s your 2019 San Francisco 49ers MVP.

Honorable mention:

With his first full season as a starter under his belt, Jimmy Garoppolo lead his team to a 13-3 record. Coming off a year in which he was injured early in the season, a lot of people had their doubts on the young stud.

Garoppolo completed 69.1 percent of his passes this season, threw for 3,978 yards, had 27 touchdowns and even rushed for 62 yards.

He may be the most criticized quarterback for no reason, but he deserves some chatter about being the team MVP.