George Kittle was clearly upset at his lack of involvement in the loss to the Bills, but the 49ers turned things around with him at the center in Week 14.
There were plenty of problematic takeaways from the San Francisco 49ers' Week 13 road loss to the Buffalo Bills.
One of those was just how little All-Pro tight end George Kittle was weaponized.
Granted, the snow and inclement weather played a factor. But Kittle's one catch for 7 yards in the game was not exactly a strategy, and the tight end made it pretty clear after the game he wasn't content with the lack of targets.
“I do not have an explanation,” Kittle said when asked about the lack of targets at Buffalo. “I think I ran six more routes the rest of the day.”
Point taken.
It sure seems as if head coach Kyle Shanahan and quarterback Brock Purdy heeded Kittle's not-so-subtle suggestion to be involved more.
George Kittle goes off in 49ers' win over Bears
It didn't take long for the Niners to realize they needed Kittle to bounce back from their three-game losing streak entering Week 14 at home against the Chicago Bears.
By the early minutes of the second quarter, the People's Tight End already netted more than 100 receiving yards, including a nifty screen, which was part of Shanahan's game plan to counter Chicago's defense:
George Kittle is movin'
— NFL (@NFL) December 8, 2024
📺: #CHIvsSF on FOX
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In total, Kittle finished with 151 yards on six catches, a dynamic performance.
With Kittle operating at full throttle, San Francisco was able to end the losing streak by defeating the Bears 38-13, improving to 6-7 on the season and keeping their still-alive playoff hopes afloat.
But, the bigger lesson might be the 49ers need to remember how important a receiving weapon Kittle is, and it's not a stretch to suggest he'll be a key component to whatever final stretch run Shanahan, Purdy and Co. have to save their postseason hopes.