San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has exploded in recent weeks, totaling 10 catches for 213 receiving yards and four touchdowns over the last two games. Of course, some will point to the absence of Deebo Samuel over the span as the reason for the improved statistics, but the star receiver hasn't been turning in those kinds of receiving numbers this season. Samuel has had a down year compared to his breakout 2021 campaign when he registered 1,770 all-purpose yards and 14 touchdowns.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan has another explanation for Kittle's recent resurgence. Remember, the tight end has proven to be a dangerous weapon in the past, recording a then-single-season tight end record 1,377 receiving yards in 2018.
Kittle has missed 13 games since 2020, including the first two games of this season, due to injuries. He wasn't available at the start of this season due to a groin strain but was eased back into action starting in Week 3. It sounds like it took Kittle some time to get back to 100 percent.
"Missing training camp takes a toll on a guy," head coach Kyle Shanahan told NBC Sports Bay Area this week. "They're rusty, they're not in great football shape, and he got injured in there. So he doesn't get to practice at all, doesn't get to do much in the offseason.
"He missed the first two games, and he came back. He was healed enough to come back, but we had to take it very slowly. His practice reps didn't go up. We had to take it easy on him at practice because there was tendinitis and things like that. We couldn't wear him down. We had to build him up slowly. And he slowly did come back, but he didn't really start, to me, to get his football skills and legs and everything like he has had until about the last month."
Kittle had just three games surpassing 80 receiving yards this season before this impressive recent two-game span. He averaged 45.5 receiving yards per game from Week 3 through Week 14.
The tight end now has 52 receptions for 713 yards and a career-high eight touchdowns this season. The 49ers coach believes Kittle's health has more to do with that than anything else.
"It just took some time," Shanahan added. "This last month, he's had a stretch where he hasn't gotten dinged up at all, he's been able to practice every day, and he's been tearing it up now for this whole month.
"Fortunately, the ball has come his way here in the last couple of weeks, and when he has any space, and we can get him the ball in some space, he has a knack for doing some pretty cool things with it, and we've got to find some ways to do it more."
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