The San Francisco 49ers may have lost 48-32 to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17. But tight end George Kittle set a new NFL record, emerging No. 1 among all tight ends for single-season receiving yards.
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is now the NFL's all-time leader among tight ends for single-season receiving yards. This, after he hauled in nine catches for 149 yards and a touchdown during the Niners' 48-32 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17.
Kittle entered the contest needing 99 yards to surpass the record set by the New England Patriots' Rob Gronkowski back in 2011 (1,327). Interestingly enough, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce needed just 55 yards to hit the record. And Kelce did but only managed to hold onto it for a few hours before Kittle broke it late in the fourth quarter on a 43-yard touchdown:
Break the record, might as well score too. Congrats @gkittle46 👏#GoNiners pic.twitter.com/kD4H2SQj1Y
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 31, 2018
In total, Kittle finishes 2018 with an all-time 1,377 receiving yards, besting both Gronk and Kelce.
"It hasn't really hit me yet," Kittle told reporters after the game. "But it's definitely exiting, and it definitely wasn't just me. You had three quarterbacks throwing me the ball. You had our O-line, ups and downs throughout the year, guys in and out. It's just a credit to our team to just keep pushing and grinding no matter what happened. I would have enjoyed a win today, but this definitely makes it a little bit better."
Unlike Week 14 against the Denver Broncos, where Kittle's 210 receiving yards put him just five yards shy of the single-game mark for a tight end, head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. didn't forget about targeting him in the second quarter. And down the stretch, Shanahan called timeouts with the Rams driving in an attempt to get one more offensive drive to secure the record for Kittle.
"They were so aware. They were really aware," cornerback Richard Sherman said of the defense's knowledge of how close Kittle was at the end. "The coaches told them, 'you've got to get this stop for him so he can get a chance at it.' I think everybody was aware of it throughout most of the game."
It didn't come easy, though, as the Rams appeared to make it a point to keep Kittle from setting the record against them. The Rams even went for it on 4th-and-4 before Kittle's record-breaking score, a clear attempt to prevent him from passing Kelce.
"It felt like it," Kittle admitted when asked if Los Angeles was aware of him converging on the record. "They were double covering me on that last drive. I'm just glad that Nick [Mullens] said, 'hey, I'm going to throw you the ball no matter what.' I really appreciate that."
Not surprisingly, Kittle led all 49ers pass catchers on the day and sets up to be one of San Francisco's prime offensive weapons in 2019.
"He could have a much better year next year, but not do that stuff" head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game. "The stats don't always tell that, but he had an unbelievable year."
A record-setting year, as a matter of fact.