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George Kittle is in his seventh NFL season. While he reached the Super Bowl during the 2019 season, the tight end had to endure watching the confetti fall on the Kansas City Chiefs rather than celebrating with his San Francisco 49ers teammates.
NFL careers don't last forever, and at some point, players develop a heightened sense of urgency to earn a ring. Kittle can pinpoint precisely when that urgency emerged for him, which had nothing to do with his age.
"My sense of urgency has been pretty urgent since 2019," Kittle told reporters after Thursday's practice. "I kind of figured that out. I think it takes like a year or two [of being] in the NFL to realize the sense of urgency that you have to have when you're on a good football team. But yeah, I feel like I've been pretty urgent since then."
Like many players, it took Kittle, a fifth-round draft pick in 2017, some time to adjust to life in the NFL. Observing the careers of former teammates made him realize the importance of seizing every opportunity.
"My first two years, I was just trying to survive the NFL, and then something clicked, figured it out, started playing at a high level," Kittle shared. "And then you realize, especially, when you have guys like [former tackle] Joe Staley, [former tight end] Garrett Celek—they were like two of my best friends on the team—I've been in the league without them longer than I was with them. I played with them for three years, and I've played without them for four years.
"So I understand the sense of urgency, and I think it takes young guys a little bit, but the majority of this team fully understands that. And windows closing, all that stuff, I don't know. I'm just going to keep playing football at a high level until they tell me I can't anymore."
As the top-seeded team in the NFC, the 49ers earned a first-round bye, and they will host their first playoff game the weekend of January 20. With two wins, Kittle and the 49ers will find themselves back in the Super Bowl.
49ers' Brock Purdy completes tosses to George Kittle at Levi's Stadium...during Luke Combs concert
By Marc Adams
May 19
San Francisco 49ers fans are accustomed to seeing QB Brock Purdy complete passes to tight end George Kittle. On Saturday night, the duo hooked up a few more times at Levi's Stadium. But it was on a stage rather than on the field.
Country music star, Luke Combs, was in concert at Levi's Stadium, when part of the way through his show, he called Purdy and Kittle on stage to join him. After downing a beer with Combs, Kittle then motioned for Purdy to throw him another. Of course, his quarterback obliged. In the video, it appears that Combs raised his hand for another, but Purdy looked him off, choosing to go to his star tight end
Super Bowl rematch between 49ers and Chiefs will be during Week 7
By David Bonilla
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Jordan Schultz reports that the highly anticipated rematch between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs, a reprisal of February's Super Bowl, is slated for Week 7 of the upcoming season. The clash will occur at Levi's Stadium, with the kickoff set for 1:25 p.m. PT and FOX broadcasting the game.
Former NFL quarterback Tom Brady is expected to call the game from the broadcast booth.
Sources: The Super Bowl rematch between the #Chiefs and
Bucky Brooks identifies biggest challenge for Kyle Shanahan as 49ers seek Super Bowl return
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The San Francisco 49ers are on a mission to rebound from their February Super Bowl defeat, eyeing a return to the NFL title game and aiming to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the season's end. What stands as their greatest hurdle in achieving this goal? Is it the Kansas City Chiefs, who claimed victory over them in the Super Bowl and will face them again in a Week 7 rematch? Or is it the challenge of overcoming adversity, such as injuries?
According to Bucky Brooks, it's actually something else entirely. The NFL analyst believes that the biggest challenge facing the 49ers this season will be refocusing after the heartbreak of their
49ers' Nick Bosa opens up about Super Bowl loss and early offseason return
By David Bonilla
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Nick Bosa is probably looking forward to the day when reporters stop asking him about the San Francisco 49ers' recent Super Bowl loss. Unfortunately for him, that day wasn't today. The star pass rusher answered questions from the media after the team's Tuesday afternoon practice session and was asked about his feelings regarding the game now that he's more than three months removed from it.
"With the Super Bowl, unfortunately, I know how to bounce back from tough losses," Bosa said. "It was rough for a little bit, but now it's just annoying when people bring it up."
Bosa stared at the reporter who asked the question, then smiled and
