On Sunday, All-Pro George Kittle went down with a hamstring injury that had taken him out of the season opener versus the Seattle Seahawks. Before the injury, he was the most reliable receiver target the San Francisco 49ers as he caught all four of his targets for 25 yards and a touchdown.
San Francisco was in need of another safety valve it could throw to for quarterback Brock Purdy.
Then came third-string tight end Jake Tonges on the final drive.
Jake Tonges had never caught a pass in the NFL before today.
He has three today. Including this one 🙌 pic.twitter.com/g1xMS2UXub
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025
Tonges caught three crucial passes. All three of them being his only catches of his NFL career, by the way. The first was a 2-yard screen, the second catch was a 9-yard sliding catch that went for a first down to Seattle's 11-yard line after dragging himself forward. Then, Tonges capped it off with a 4-yard touchdown catch in front of Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen to get the 49ers in front and to win the game.
Tonges became an unlikely hero for the Niners after the Week 1 win in Seattle. But now, with Kittle on injured reserve for the next four weeks, San Francisco will likely need Tonges to continue that level of play.
Jake Tonges is 1st in line to be George Kittle's hero replacement
Tonges will have the tall task of not only replacing one of the team's best receivers for next few weeks. He will also have to try and replicate the same level of blocking Kittle is known for.
Luckily enough, Tonges had the team's second-highest run-blocking grade (70.7) in Sunday's win. As for Tonges' other grades, Kittle (86.2) was the only player on the 49ers who had a better offensive grade than Tonges (84.5). And only Kittle (89.8) and running back Christian McCaffrey (81.7) had higher receiving grades than Tonges (81.2).
So, that's very reassuring to see. However, it needs to stay consistent.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers have been looking for a second tight end to add to their arsenal for quite some time now. It would go back to the way the offense looked with Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker in the early 2010s. Since the start of the Shanahan era, they've drafted the likes of Kaden Smith, Charlie Woerner, Cameron Latu, and Brayden Willis with little to no positive results shown.
Now, not only could they find a new weapon added to the offense, but they could make the team that more dynamic if Tonges continues his strong play.