49ers vs. Broncos: Predicting which Niners tee off on Sunday night

No. 1: 49ers tight end George Kittle

The “People’s Tight End.” George Kittle, will be making his 2022 season debut against Denver after sitting out the first two weeks with a groin injury.

Kittle, of course, had one of the best games of his career the last time the 49ers played the Broncos in 2018. He recorded seven receptions, 210 yards receiving and one touchdown.

For reference, he was 5 yards away from breaking Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe’s single-game record for receiving yards by a tight end. And to date, Kittle is one of six tight ends to ever go above 200 yards receiving in a single game.

After two back-to-back seasons going over 1,000 yards receiving in 2018 and 2019, Kittle has failed to hit the 1,000-yard mark in the past two seasons due to injury. He only appeared in eight games in 2020 in which he gained 634 yards receiving. In 2021, he only missed three games, but he was 90 yards short of the 1,000-yard mark, which he likely would’ve gotten to if he appeared in one or two more games.

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Therefore, don’t expect Kittle to hold back in his return. If he feels he is good enough to go, he will give his everything in run blocking and in the passing game. Seeing that he has a great rapport with Jimmy Garoppolo, he should see a good amount of balls thrown his way.

Kittle is a co-founder of Tight End University and National Tight Ends Day, he is one of the premier tight ends in the league. If he is healthy he is a menace to opposing defenses.

Look for Kittle to have somewhere in the range of six receptions, 90 yards receiving and one touchdown.