49ers game grades from deflating Week 9 loss to Cardinals
By Peter Panacy
49ers Tight End
Welcome back, tight end George Kittle. We only wish your otherwise-impressive performance wasn’t marked by that costly fumble early in the game.
Kittle’s first-quarter fumble, which came on a serious yards-after-the-catch attempt, was an ominous sign of things to come. Cornerback Byron Murphy punched the ball loose at the perfect moment when Kittle was trying to leapfrog an Arizona defender, which led to the first time in his career where Kittle had lost a fumble that was recovered by an opposing team.
The Cardinals scored a touchdown off that turnover, by the way.
It wasn’t the best way to come back from injured reserve, but at least Kittle made up for it later in the game, leading the Niners with 101 receiving yards on six receptions and scoring his first touchdown of the season.
If San Francisco’s offense expects to generate any sort of turnaround in the second half of the season, Kittle’s efforts will have to be a primary reason why.