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Faithful Flashbacks #66: George Kittle Comes Five Yards Short of NFL History

In honor of the San Francisco 49ers celebrating their 80th anniversary, Sactown Sports is kicking off a countdown of the 80 greatest moments in the franchise’s illustrious history in reverse order called “Faithful Flashbacks.”

From Super Bowl-winning plays to overperforming teams that had minimal expectations, there’s plenty to choose from the team with five titles under its belt.

The voting was conducted by a handful of the Sactown Sports’ staffers before results were compiled into a full list that will count down to the 49ers’ 2026 NFL regular season debut against the Rams in Melbourne, Australia, on September 10th.

Faithful Flashbacks -- San Francisco 49ers 80 Best Moments

George Kittle did not arrive in San Francisco with expectations of becoming an eventual franchise centerpiece. The 49ers selected him out of Iowa with the 146th pick in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

While not having an elite collegiate resume, statistically, his physical profile and athleticism at 6’4 ” were intriguing. He showed some potential in his rookie campaign, but it was his second season that really solidified him as a bright spot amid a lowly season.

Starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had torn his ACL three games into the 2018 season, Kittle’s second season, leaving reserves C.J. Beathard and Nick Mullens to split the responsibility.

Sitting at 2-10 on the season, a December matchup against the Denver Broncos provided a much-needed sense of optimism. Kittle nearly set a positional NFL record… before halftime.

He caught seven passes for 210 yards and a touchdown before the midway point, including an 85-yard score where he sliced through the Denver defense. San Francisco took a 20-0 lead into the break, with Kittle accounting for most of its offense.

At that point, Shannon Sharpe owned the single-game receiving record for a tight end with 214 yards. Just five yards away from setting a new record with an entire half to go, most assumed Kittle would surpass that marker.

But he did not catch another pass on the night. Owning a significant lead, head coach Kyle Shanahan elected to go with a more conservative, run-heavy approach to secure one of their few victories on the season. Shanahan acknowledged following the game that he was unaware of the mark and apologized to Kittle after the win.

The record narrowly escaped him, but it still highlighted what a clear breakout season for Kittle was. He finished with 1,377 receiving yards, which was an NFL single-season record for a tight end at the time.

Solidifying that he was much more than his fifth-round draft slot may show, it was enough to earn the No. 66 spot on our ‘Faithful Flashbacks’ countdown of the 80 best moments in San Francusco’s franchise history.