SF 49ers: Counting down the top 10 plays of 2020 season
By Robert Smith
SF 49ers Top Play No. 7: George Kittle goes the distance
You knew it was just a matter of time before there would be a tight end George Kittle sighting on this list.
The SF 49ers were entering a Week 6 matchup against the 4-1 LA Rams in prime time on Sunday Night Football while looking to get back to .500 at 3-3 against a division opponent.
The Niners had blanked a then-potent Rams offense in the first quarter while taking a lead 7-0. After forcing a Rams punt with just over five minutes to go in the first quarter, Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco offense took over on their own 13-yard-line.
After driving the ball across midfield to end the quarter, running back Raheem Mostert came up a couple of yards short on a 3rd-and-5. That led to a fourth-down conversion attempt by the offense to keep the drive alive.
What the SF 49ers got was even better than a first down:
Kittle caught a short pass from Garoppolo inside the right hashmark, shook a tackle and went 41 yards to the house for a 14-0 lead.
The Rams never recovered, and the Niners moved to 3-3 with a 24-16 victory that was actually not that close.
It was a big win at the time and Garoppolo’s best game in his injury-shortened season. He finished 23-of-33 for 268 yards, three touchdowns, no picks, and a 124.3 passer rating.
But it was all Kittle on this play.