San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is fine with his four catches for a meager 17 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles because his team emerged from Sunday's game with a win. Kittle had fun, too. You could see him celebrating and enjoying his run-game blocks.
He enjoyed one play specifically—Jimmy Garoppolo's quarterback sneak that led to a 17-11 lead. It was a lead the 49ers would hold onto for the victory and a 2-0 start to the season.
After the game, Kittle shared why he is such a fan of quarterback sneaks.
"I love quarterback sneaks. That's awesome for two reasons," Kittle told reporters. "One, I can't really mess a play up. That's awesome for me. Two, it's a testament to Jimmy, his toughness, and then those guys on the inside—Alex [Mack], Laken [Tomlinson], and Dan [Brunskill]. Just being able to be physical, get the one yard, two yards, get those touchdowns. I mean, that's awesome."
Kittle snuck in one more reason at the end, jokingly, at his quarterback's expense.
"When Jimmy's running the football, you know, I also like it too because he gets sore after the game, finally, and understands what it's like to be sore," Kittle added. "[Usually, he's] like, 'Ow, my shoulder's sore today because I threw the ball so much.' No, he got hit and tackled, so I'm glad he's a little sore this week. He gets to feel what it feels like to be an actual football player."
Naturally, knowing what Kittle said about him minutes earlier, Garoppolo was asked if he was sore after the game.
"From what?" Garoppolo responded. "No, I'm kidding. Well worth it for the W."
In April, the 49ers drafted an athletic quarterback in rookie Trey Lance but did not utilize him in today's game after many felt he might have a bigger role than last week's four snaps against the Detroit Lions. Kittle was quick to remind everyone that Garoppolo can deliver when called upon too.
"Look, we have a running quarterback — Jimmy G," Kittle told reporters.