George Kittle quickly figured out how he was going to break free.
When Brock Purdy announced the play call in the San Francisco 49ers‘ huddle in the fourth quarter on Sunday – a tight end screen that ended up becoming the fifth-longest touchdown reception of Kittle’s career – Kittle received an order from left tackle Trent Williams.
“You gotta toss him!” Williams said, according to Kittle, referring to Broncos defensive end Nik Bonitto. The 49ers were expecting Bonitto to hang around Kittle’s catch point while the rest of Denver’s defensive line rushed the quarterback.
But, to Kittle’s surprise, Bonitto disengaged from his block and sprinted toward Purdy off the edge. “I don’t even need to block him,” Kittle remembered thinking.
Kittle caught a toss from Purdy. From there, all he needed was a strong lead block from Jake Brendel. The center shoved Broncos safety Brandon Jones to the grass, and Kittle was home free. About halfway through his 56-yard dash, Kittle checked the big screen and saw himself chugging toward the end zone.
“I was like: ‘OK, keep it in whatever gear this is, so you don’t hurt yourself,'” Kittle said.
“That’s what we envisioned,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said of the play call, “because that’s the type of player George is.”
Through four games, fresh off a January torn Achilles, here are Kittle’s numbers: 16 catches, 244 yards and four touchdowns. Kittle’s recovery was so remarkable that his own head coach forgot he was supposed to be eased back into the game plan.
“I forgot about his Achilles (Week 1) in Australia,” Shanahan said. “Just how he looked moving and stuff. … He’s been unbelievable.”
Kittle reached 19.84 mph on his touchdown catch. Asked if it was gratifying to still have that speed, Kittle said he expected it. He claims to have hit 20 mph in July.
Besides the fact that he got the game-sealing play, Kittle particularly enjoyed that he was able to outrun 27-year-old safety Talanoa Hufanga, his former teammate who chased him directly for about 45 yards.
“Anytime you see green grass – I think I ran the entire way with a smile on my face,” Kittle said.
Evans guts through it: On Thursday, in the locker room, wide receiver Mike Evans took a deep breath and braced for what was coming: A sneeze. After Evans sneezed, he winced and grabbed his side. Yes, his rib injury looked excruciating.
Three days after that locker room scene, Evans, who was questionable to play after missing the first two practices of the week, had five catches for a team-high 76 yards. In the fourth quarter, Evans’ 17-yard catch down to the 1-yard line set up running back Christian McCaffrey’s 1-yard scoring plunge two plays later that gave the 49ers a 17-6 lead.
On several occasions, Evans, 33, walked slowly off the field and bent down in apparent discomfort after reaching the sideline. He went to the locker room at halftime about a minute before his teammates.
Evans, who didn’t speak to reporters, exited the locker room with an ice pack wrapped around his right ankle.
“That’s the reason why he is who he is, and he’s a gold jacket guy,” Williams said. “Everybody knows how painful ribs are. And nobody in this locker room would have blamed him if he said, ‘I can’t go. It’s too painful.'”
Said Kittle: “If you can play (with an injury), play. If you think you’re going to hurt the team, don’t play. But I don’t think Mike Evans is ever going to hurt the team because he’s so damn good.”
Other injuries: After remaining healthy through three weeks, two key figures in the 49ers’ secondary – and a pair of 2025 draftees – suffered injuries: safety Marques Sigle and cornerback Upton Stout.
Sigle originally exited early in the third quarter with a stinger. He returned to the game. Then, in the fourth quarter, he left with an ankle injury that appeared to be more serious. He remained on his back on the Broncos’ sideline for an extended period. The 49ers brought out a cart for him, but it remained stationary on the other side of the field while trainers examined him. Sigle then walked off the field, slowly, and to the locker room.
Shanahan said the severity of Sigle’s injury is unknown.
Stout, who earned Ronde Barber and Jalen Ramsey comparisons from defensive coordinator Raheem Morris this past week, exited with a shoulder injury. He returned and then left again, Shanahan said, and likely injured his AC joint. Stout, who sported a large ice pack on his right shoulder in the locker room postgame, will be evaluated Monday.
Fullback Kyle Juszczyk suffered a knee injury that looked worse in the moment than it ended up being. Early in the fourth quarter, Broncos cornerback Jahdae Barron crouched as he approached Juszczyk and cracked his right knee with his right shoulder. Juszczyk’s leg appeared to hyperextend before he did a flip and landed in a ton of pain.
Juszczyk, after being looked at by trainers, walked off the field and into the medical tent. He did not exit to the locker room, instead remaining on the bench after he was ruled out.
Shanahan said Juszczyk’s “ACL and stuff looked intact,” and he likely suffered a knee sprain. He’ll undergo further testing Monday to determine the severity.
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This article originally published at 49ers’ George Kittle pleasantly surprised by defensive setup on long TD catch.
