San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle hauled in an impressive pass from quarterback Brock Purdy as Purdy rolled to the left while under pressure and hit the tight end down the middle with 5:19 left in the third quarter of a tie playoff game.
Kittle bobbled the pass before hauling it in and securing the first down and helping fuel the 49ers to the Divisional Round victory over the Dallas Cowboys to punch their ticket to the NFC Championship game.
“I was just trying to be dramatic,” Kittle said following the game, laughing, according to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. “It was just for TV. I was trying to be a little dramatic, get the ratings up. That’s what we’re here for.”
“That was unbelievable,” 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey said of Kittle’s reception. “That was one of the best catches I’ve ever seen. That’s a special player doing special things. And plays like that definitely boost momentum.”
“I’m not in the read at all,” Kittle, who has built strong chemistry with Purdy since Purdy took over as the starter, said. “Brock is a good quarterback who keeps his eyes up when the play is falling apart, and his No. 1 and his No. 2 wasn’t open, so for him to look back inside to see a white glove hand fly up and give me a shot at the ball, that’s just really good quarterback play.”
The 49ers will now take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game next weekend.
