San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle's historic seven-catch, 210-yard performance against the Denver Broncos on Sunday catapulted him past Vernon Davis for the franchise record for receiving yards by a tight end in a single season. Davis registered 965 receiving yards in 2009. Kittle now has 1,103 receiving yards this season.
Kittle also became the first 49ers player to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in a single-season since Anquan Boldin did so in 2014. His 210 receiving yards in a single game ranks third all-time by a tight end in NFL history and was just four yards shy of matching former Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe's record of 214 yards.
Kittle's single-game total also ranks eighth in franchise history among all players. He is the only tight end in the top 10.
Below are some key post-game comments about Kittle from 49ers and Broncos players.
Quotes provided by the 49ers Communications staff.
49ers QB Nick Mullens
"He was open every play (during the first half), man. It was crazy. Shoot, all the receivers were. That's why I give the coaches so much credit. The guys were wide open. So, that's fun, man. The O-Line played great. They were protecting their butts off and we really just had a rhythm. I've said it in the past. When we really just focus on ourselves, our assignments and everybody works as a collective unit, we're a pretty good offense, and that showed in the first half. Second half, got off our rhythm, I guess you could say. But, we finished. It was a solid first half."
49ers DT DeForest Buckner
"Everybody is happy to see Kittle reach 1,000 yards and break some records today, so it was awesome to see him do that on a personal level for him. It definitely gets the team going for sure."
49ers CB Richard Sherman
"He's dynamic. George Kittle is a really dynamic player. I don't think he gets enough credit for how athletic he is. It's very similar to (Chiefs TE Travis) Kelce out in Kansas City with how slippery he is. His lateral movement is deceptive. He has a ton of speed. Maybe they just ran the ball a lot more in college and didn't give him an opportunity, but he's just really way more athletic than people understand."
"We're happy for him. He deserves everything he's getting. Obviously, he deserves to be a Pro Bowler this year. He's been arguably the best tight end in football, no disrespect to Kelce or [Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski] or any of those other guys that are playing good football. But to be a second-year player playing the way he is, he makes an impact every game. He's our number one receiver yards-wise and targets-wise. It's not like it's a surprise that we're throwing the ball to him against Denver, and they still couldn't stop him. He's just beating guys one-on-one and having a day. He had 210 yards in the first half. I don't think I've seen that done, period."
Broncos OLB Von Miller
"85 is a hell of a player. George Kittle's a hell of a player, and he took some 10-yard plays the distance today. There's not too many tight ends in the league that can do that. We knew coming into the game that he was going to be talented. We knew coming into the game he was going to make plays, but the plays that he made today he just killed us on top of the penalties, and on top of my penalties that increased the situation. He just killed us."
Broncos S Su'a Cravens on stopping Kittle in the second half
"We adjusted the zone. Plain and simple. For a guy that was doing what he did in the first half, to be able to stop his production and limit his catches, you have to go zone and keep eyes on him. Also, you have to keep your eyes on the quarterback. I think we did a good job taking him away in the second half."
Broncos NT Shelby Harris
"He had a good game. He went out there and played football the way it is supposed to be played. That's what you are supposed to do. That's the goal. We have to go out there and do everything better. There is no excuse."
Broncos S Justin Simmons
"They did some things schematically offensively (during the first half). They found different ways to get him the football. We came in at halftime and made those corrections to fix those big plays we were giving up. Ultimately, it wasn't enough."
Broncos S Darian Stewart
"He's a great talent. We saw it on film too. They found a way to get him the ball. He's a solid player. He's going to be good for a long time."
