If you’re looking for reasons why the San Francisco 49ers have been one of the best teams in the NFC for the last five years—including two trips to the Super Bowl—tight end George Kittle should be at or near the top of the list.
If you’re looking for reasons why the 49ers haven’t been able to get over the hump and win the sixth Super Bowl in franchise history, Kittle’s disappearing acts in the postseason should be at the top of the list as well.
In 2023, we know now that a big reason why Kittle had just eight receptions for 112 receiving yards and one touchdown in three postseason games was because of an injury to his core muscles that required surgery following a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 58.
It was an injury Kittle says he played with for almost the entire second half of the regular season—a year in which he had 65 receptions for 1,020 receiving yards and six touchdowns on the way to earning NFL All-Pro honors for the fourth time and Pro Bowl recognition for the fifth (via NBC Sports Bay Area):
The 49ers’ ascension to their current perch as one of the top teams in the NFC has mirrored Kittle’s ascension to his status as one of the NFL’s elite tight ends. In his seven seasons, the 49ers have made the playoffs four times.
San Francisco spent a fifth-round pick (No. 146 overall) on Kittle in the 2017 NFL Draft, and he helped lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl following the 2019 season, which ended with another loss to the Chiefs. Kittle fell flat in that playoff run as well, with only eight receptions for 71 yards and no touchdowns in three games after 85 receptions for 1,053 receiving yards and five touchdowns in the 2019 regular season.
