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George Kittle’s maniacal fourth-down catch and run all but sealed 49ers’ enthralling win

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George Kittle is not like most folks. As much as calling football players “warriors” is a cliche, it’s not hard to imagine Kittle thriving in the trenches of Ancient Greece as a Spartan. He might be the best player in the National Football League, and he showed both his quality and absurd, almost lunatic-like relentlessness in a game-sealing play on Sunday.

On 4th-and-2, with the 49ers not just needing a first down, but about 30 yards to get in Robbie Gould’s field goal range. Not only did Kittle (6 receptions, 67 yards, 1 TD) convert, but he rumbled downfield with the reckless abandon of a human wrecking ball. With his facemask being held, Kittle kept churning. In a moment, the 49ers went from being out of control of their own destiny to a moment from pulling off the defining victory of the NFL season.

It set the 49ers up for what should have been a simple chip shot, even for Gould’s struggles (was 14-of-18 below 40 yards). While Gould was the “hero,” it was really Mitch Wishnowsky, who was snapped an embarrassingly-poor ball from long snapper Kyle Nelson. Wishnowsky got it down, somehow, in time, and the 49ers left New Orleans with their NFC West Division chances still intact and a 48-46 win.

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