© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
George Kittle’s historic performance Sunday may always have the unfortunate “what-if” tag attached. In the first half of San Francisco’s 20-14 win over Denver, Kittle hauled in seven passes for 210 yards, including an 85-yard touchdown, to pull within four yards of Shannon Sharpe’s single-game yardage record by a tight end of 214 yards.
The most prolific half of Kittle’s career preceded his most quiet one. Kittle did not record a catch in the second half. He was targeted once. The 49ers did not score, though they held on to win the game.
Kyle Shanahan feels some guilt for Kittle coming painfully close to Sharpe’s record. Shanahan did, of course, enable that possibility with fantastic play-calling that freed Kittle in the first half.
This is a classic Shanahan play-action concept on George Kittle’s 85 yard TD. Post with the deep over. And Kittle is moving here in the open field. #49ers @HawkeyeFootball @NFLMatchup pic.twitter.com/5YmkI4yuVp
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) December 10, 2018
“That was a play-action where he inserted in the middle of the line, and it’s tough for the guy who has him to decide whether to run-fit or cover,” Shanahan said Monday. “So, that’s how you get someone all alone. But, they do a ton of man coverage, so I was able to get some guys in some good looks.”
But the Broncos adjusted in the second half, as you’d expect, and focused on containing Kittle. The 49ers’ offense stalled, failing to convert a third down in the second half until the final drive.
“You don’t have as many opportunities as you do in the first half,” Shanahan said. “I thought it would happen naturally throughout the game and then regardless, if we get the ball with a two-score lead at the end, I promise you we won’t run an out, we’ll call a quick screen to him or something like that so we can get the record. Unfortunately, we got that ball at the end and it wasn’t. It was a one-score game. We had to down it on fourth down in a bad way to still give them another play.”
Shanahan said he called Kittle’s number several times throughout the second half, but he was simply not open. The 49ers even dialed up a shovel pass for Kittle, but that, too, went awry. Once those looks did not work early in the half, Shanahan said called the rest of the game with a victory in mind before the yardage record. He said, “you have to think in a very humble way when you call games.”
“So, it just didn’t play out that way where it’s like, ‘Hey, let’s just do this,’” Shanahan said. “Every play mattered there at the end, so you’re just trying to call plays to try to win the game, not to break a record. That’s what you feel bad about. I wish he could have broken the record. He deserved to.”
Added Shanahan: “The only people that were happy were probably Shannon Sharpe and my dad.”