George Kittle made the play that mattered most, then made sure Talanoa Hufanga heard about it.
On Sunday evening, the former San Francisco 49ers teammates found themselves on opposite sides of a sequence that flipped the tone of the game late. Hufanga had just authored a huge night the previous Sunday, when he logged a 66-yard pick-six against the Los Angeles Rams and later sealed the win with another interception off reigning MVP Matthew Stafford. But this time, it was Kittle who delivered the knockout, breaking free for a 56-yard touchdown with 2:15 left.
Afterward, the tight end kept the jokes coming.
“Outrunning old teammates is always a great time,” Kittle said, per The San Francisco Standard's David Lombardi. “Especially when they’re 26.” Ouch.
That line landed with a little extra bite because Hufanga actually turned 27 in February. He had praised the easygoing 6-foot-4 pass-catcher just days before the matchup, only to watch Kittle fly past him on a crucial snap and then pile on afterward. The two will almost certainly laugh about it eventually, but Hufanga is probably filing this one away for the next time they meet.
The result also kept San Francisco rolling. The 49ers left Levi's Stadium at 4-0 and continue to look like one of the early Super Bowl favorites, even with a crowded injured reserve list hanging over the roster. Kittle has been right at the center of that start, giving the offense a steady force in a unit that keeps changing around him.
He did it on Sunday at a remarkable clip, too. Less than 270 days after tearing his Achilles, the two-time First-Team All-Pro reached 19.84 mph on the touchdown run, according to Niners Nation's Kyle Posey. Through the first month, Kittle has piled up 16 catches for a team-high 244 yards and four touchdowns.
That kind of production has been vital for a passing game that keeps adjusting on the fly. Kittle remains the same reliable centerpiece, but every so often he still finds a way to surprise people 10 years into his NFL career.
Hufanga found that out the hard way. And Kittle will try to keep that same edge when the 49ers head to face the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, who are 3-1, in Week 5.
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For the 49ers, it was another reminder that Greenlaw is not just back, he matters to their defense in a big way. After spending the previous season with the Broncos, he has reestablished himself as an important piece in San Francisco, and the message he delivered Sunday carried the kind of personal sting that tends to follow a player who felt he had something to prove. [Read more 🡒]