A dominant Week 14 performance for 49ers tight end George Kittle earned him his first NFC Player of the Week honor of the season.
Kittle was instrumental in San Francisco’s 26-23 overtime win over the Bengals with 13 catches on 15 targets for 151 yards and a touchdown. He had seven receptions for 88 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime alone, including a sensational leaping grab to give the 49ers a chance at a game-winning field goal at the end of regulation.
This feels a little bit like an award that wraps in his Week 13 performance as well where he posted 181 yards and two touchdowns on nine catches in a loss to the Seahawks.
Nevertheless, Sunday was a reminder that most teams don’t have the defensive talent to stop Kittle when the 49ers want to get him the ball. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said after the game, “we tried everything.”
This is the third time a 49ers player has won NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel won it twice earlier in the season.
There’s a strong possibility Kittle is in line for this award again with four weeks left. It’s become clear how much more effective the 49ers offense is when they’re feeding their star tight end. If they’re going to make a run and clinch a playoff spot it’s going to require a couple more weeks like this from Kittle.
