George Kittle was most vital in 49ers win over Bengals in Week 14

George Kittle, the ‘People’s Tight End,’ had his best game for the season, as the 49ers got an important win over the Bengals thanks to a big game.

The San Francisco 49ers decided to cause a bit of panic among their fans, but the Niners got an invaluable victory over the Cincinnati Bengals with a 26-23 overtime nailbiter.

The win is important both as a big road victory over a playoff-caliber team, as well as for the playoff aspirations of the 49ers themselves. The win propels them to the sixth seed in the NFC, and they open up big favorites over the Atlanta Falcons this week.

While there were contributions across the team, the biggest game came from star tight end George Kittle, who put on a performance that fans would expect to see from the former All-Pro.

Kittle logged 13 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown, which included several clutch catches in both the fourth quarter and overtime.

George Kittle was money for the 49ers late in Week 14

His best catch was in the final drive of the final quarter, where he took a superb leaping catch that took the 49ers to within field-goal range, which ended up unfortunately being a futile effort, although still one for the highlight reel:

Kittle came through again in overtime with several catches, including a catch in a tight window on third down that allowed San Francisco to continue the drive, which ultimately led to victory and not a tie or outright defeat.

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Kittle has been a touch quieter than he would have liked this year (though by no means poor), but it bodes well for a 49ers offense that’s looking to hit stride just at the right time.

Kittle has 57 catches for 757 yards and six touchdowns for the season off of 10 games. All six touchdowns have been in the last six games, as he’s been a force in the second half of the season.

The 49ers are in a nice place to get to the playoffs but for them to make some noise if they get there, Kittle will need to continue his stellar run of form to continue to get the offense going.