San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle may not be on a record-breaking pace like he was last year, but he is still on pace to rack up over 1,000 receiving yards this season. A few more games like Sunday's against the Los Angeles Rams, during which he had eight receptions for 103 yards, and maybe we can start thinking about records again.
By the way, Kittle put on a show in Los Angeles while dealing with a groin injury. He was listed as "questionable" on the team's official injury report but never doubted that he would play.
"Like I said, this is a game I've had on my calendar for a year," Kittle said after the win. "I haven't liked the way we played against them the last two years, and this is a dub that we needed to get."
Kittle also told reporters that the yards after the catch are his favorite thing about his job.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo spoke with reporters on Wednesday and was asked what makes Kittle so special.
"I think he's good at it because of his mindset, and his athletic ability, obviously," Garoppolo said. "He's just got a mindset that if one guy is in front of him, he's already looking to the next guy, to make him miss, and what he's going to do in that situation. [...] As a tight end, he's got to love that stuff. Just get him the ball in space and let him go be special."
Kittle isn't the only offensive weapon with that mentality.
"I think all of our guys, though, have the right mindset," Garoppolo continued. "They don't want to run out of bounds. They want to get those extra couple of yards."
Garoppolo was asked if he views Kittle as the best tight end in football right now.
"I do, yeah," he responded. "He just does so much for our offense. In the run game, pass game, even if he's a distraction on a play, he's willing to do whatever you ask him to. For a guy of that talent to do that, it's impressive."
The 49ers made Kittle, who is in his third NFL season, a fifth-round draft pick out of Iowa in 2017. He has 31 receptions for 338 yards with a touchdown through five games this season.
Kittle set a new NFL single-season record last year for the most receiving yards by a tight end with 1,377 yards, which earned him his first trip to the Pro Bowl.
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