Making History: George Kittle Shines Bright in Primetime, Leaving History in His Wake

In the San Francisco 49ers’ most recent primetime appearance, All-Pro tight end George Kittle made history on two fronts in their Sunday Night Football win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8.

With six catches in that game, Kittle reached 500 receptions, becoming the fourth-fastest tight end to reach that landmark.

Kittle also had 128 receiving yards, that tally taking him to 6,777 for his career as he  surpassed Gene Washington and Dwight Clark for the third most in franchise history.

The 49ers will return to the SNF stage this week, though they will do so with their backs against the wall at 5-6 and clear underdogs for a matchup with a red hot Buffalo Bills team in the snow at Orchard Park.

But if the offense, which is set to be quarterbacked by Brock Purdy once again after he missed last week’s loss to the Green Bay Packers with a shoulder injury, can get going, then Kittle will have a shot at more primetime history.

Kittle now stands at 509 receptions and 6,916 receiving yards. With 84 yards against the Bills, Kittle can join Antonio Gates and Travis Kelce as only the third tight end with at least 500 receptions and 7,000 receiving yards in his first eight seasons.

It will be another step on the road to Canton for Kittle, who is firmly solidifying himself as one of the best tight ends in NFL history.

The disappointment for the 49ers is that his production this season has come in a campaign that looks highly unlikely to end in any sort of his success.

But Kittle’s outstanding consistency this season, which sees him lead the 49ers with 642 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, should at the very least make a difficult offseason somewhat easier for San Francisco.

The prevailing wisdom has long since been that the Niners will struggle to keep a team with a lot of stars together because of the impact of Purdy’s looming contract extension, which may see him go from the cheapest starting quarterback in the NFL to one of the most expensive.

With that in mind, the future of Kittle could have been considered in some doubt. Now 31, there was a case to be made for the 49ers potentially finding a replacement and moving on. That case has now disappeared.