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          San Francisco 49ers' George Kittle playing superhero again: 'That's a special dude'

          • Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff WriterDec 12, 2021, 10:56 PM ET
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              Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers and the NFL at ESPN since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In his 10 years with the company, Nick has led ESPN's coverage of the Niners' 2019 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick's protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam's subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team's relocation and stadium saga. You can follow Nick via Twitter @nwagoner
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          CINCINNATI -- After a busy, record-setting performance against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle strolled to the podium for his postgame news conference in a perfectly appropriate choice of attire.

          Rocking a black T-shirt with a Spiderman logo over the left breast and a pair of "Spiderman" Jordans, Kittle had just finished his own transformation into a superhero, lifting the Niners to a 26-23 victory that has them in firm control of their playoff future.

          "That's a different dude," said receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who provided his own heroics with a game-winning touchdown catch in overtime. "I’m not sure what he had but that’s a special dude, a real special dude."

          What Kittle had was another monster performance, one that continues to push him into the conversation among the best tight ends in league history. On Sunday, Kittle had 13 receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown on 15 targets.

          In the process, he climbed into some elite company while reaching some personal bests:

          • Sunday was Kittle's fourth career 150-plus yard receiving game, tying him with Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow for the second most by a tight end in the Super Bowl era (1966 on).

          • Kittle is the second tight end since 1960 with consecutive 150-plus yard receiving games, joining Shannon Sharpe, who did it in 1996, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. (Side note: Both Kittle and Sharpe played for a Shanahan at the time of that achievement).

          • After posting 12 receptions for 181 yards and two touchdowns in last week's loss to Seattle, Kittle went over 100 receiving yards in consecutive games for the first time in his career.

          • Sunday's 13-catch outing was Kittle's third career game with at least 10 receptions.

          • Kittle has six touchdown receptions on the season, a new career high, with all of those coming in the past six games.

          In short, there's an argument to be made that this version of Kittle is the best anyone has seen, at least as a pass-catcher, during his five-year career.

          "George showed out today," quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said. "He really did. ... When you have a guy like that you can lean on, it’s a nice feeling for a quarterback."

          Kittle's 2021 campaign got off to an inauspicious start when he suffered a calf injury in Week 1 against Detroit. That ailment got progressively worse in the ensuing weeks until it reached a point where Kittle said it's the worst injury he's had in his career aside from the broken foot he suffered in November of last year.

          The injury forced Kittle to injured reserve after a Week 4 loss to Seattle. But Kittle has returned refreshed and motivated to deliver the type of game-changing efforts that come with the five-year, $75 million contract he signed last year.

          On Sunday, that meant battling through a game played on the not-so-welcoming surface at Paul Brown Stadium.

          "This turf is like running on cement so that's kind of what it was," Kittle said. "When you have catches and you get tackled, you just get sore. I'm fine. Nothing to worry about. Excessive soreness, I would say."

          That soreness was enough to keep Kittle on the sideline at times as the Niners watched a 20-6 lead slip away. When he was needed most, though, Kittle found a way to fight off the pain and deliver.

          On third-and-10 at Cincinnati's 48 with the Niners attempting to drive for a game-winning field goal attempt, Kittle made a difficult leaping catch for a gain of 19. After kicker Robbie Gould pushed that kick right and the game went to overtime, Kittle made a sliding 9-yard catch on a low throw to again move the chains on third-and-5. Aiyuk then scored the game winner on the next play.

          Ever the humble hero, Kittle downplayed his latest game-saving antics and his recent stretch of success.

          "Coach Shanahan is calling my name, giving me the opportunity and Jimmy is throwing me the football," Kittle said. "That’s all it is. Games I have like one catch for 13 yards against the Vikings, we ran the ball 35 times, I don't care. I know that when coach Shanahan calls my name I have just got to go out there and execute it. When you have that opportunity, you have just got to go make the play and fortunately I made the play more than I didn't make it tonight."