SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The 49ers of this era have been perennial league leaders in yards after the catch. That’s their style. But YAC was hard to come by in Sunday’s 19-12 NFC divisional-round playoff win over the Cowboys. This was a throwback type of battle; one of those bruising, defense-driven affairs that was a hallmark of postseasons in the 1980s and 1990s — fittingly, when the rivalry between Dallas and San Francisco was at its peak.
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This was a night during which nothing would come easily, during which YAC would be replaced by YDC — yards during the catch — on perhaps the game’s pivotal play.
It’s fair to call George Kittle’s effort late in the third quarter “The 9-Yard Catch.” That’s the distance it required the 49ers’ tight end to secure the football on a reception that ultimately netted 30 yards and served as a key cog in the team’s go-ahead, 91-yard touchdown drive. Kittle first touched quarterback Brock Purdy’s dart at the 49ers’ 39-yard line. He then juggled it while moving at close to full speed for the next 9 yards before finally securing it at the 49ers’ 48-yard line.
GEORGE KITTLE 😱@gkittle46
📺 #DALvsSF on @NFLonFOX
📱 NFL+ https://t.co/KTh0i4oaLh pic.twitter.com/bqsFzm7LbU
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 23, 2023
“That was crazy,” 49ers’ defensive end Nick Bosa said. “I was pretty confident he had it. Then, he bobbled it twice and I got all nervous. But that was a huge play.”
It all seemed to develop in cinematic motion, slowly enough for Bosa’s emotions to evolve over each torturous bobble — all the way through the particularly harrowing ending, when Dallas cornerback Trevon Diggs nearly pulverized Kittle from a blindside angle.
Kittle confirmed that he didn’t see Diggs, who merely grazed him. And then he joked about his spectacular effort.
“I was just trying to be dramatic,” Kittle deadpanned. “It was just for TV. Just trying to get the ratings up.”
Fox likely did fine on that front, considering that two of the NFL’s marquee franchises were embroiled in a dramatic playoff affair. But the catch was certainly emblematic of the ongoing battle, which was fraught with danger at essentially every juncture.
Though the 49ers ultimately prevailed to punch their ticket to next Sunday’s NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia, they had to do what Kittle did while that ball was loose: hold steady through perilously choppy waters.
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Kittle caught five passes for a team-high 95 yards. He delivered twice on that game-changing 91-yard drive. The second contribution came on a later third down, when Kittle nullified a Dallas sack of Purdy by drawing a holding penalty against Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson.
“He was sitting on post route, heavy,” Kittle said. “He was sitting in a chair. I knew watching the tape that they like to hold and grab a little bit. He had both arms around my waist and kind of tripped one of my legs. I said, ‘Well I’m not going to get away from this because he’s holding me so bad, so I’m just going to fall.'”
The official’s flag flew. A giddy Kittle danced. The 49ers had a first down. Two plays later, Christian McCaffrey waltzed into the end zone from two yards out to give the 49ers a lead that their ferocious defense would not relinquish.
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Kittle had even more fun on that play. McCaffrey launched his touchdown ball into the air to celebrate, and Kittle made sure to haul it in after signaling fair catch.
“And then I saw Jerry,” Kittle said, “and I said, ‘Jerry Rice needs a football.'”
Kittle caught McCaffrey's post-TD spike and gave it to Jerry Rice 👏🙌@gkittle46 pic.twitter.com/aXZ9d0YlbR
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 23, 2023
That’s how the 49ers vanquished their powerful archival: with steady play amidst postseason turbulence and a well-timed nod to a franchise great who’d played a critical role in so many famous past matchups against the Cowboys.
After the game, the 49ers marveled at Dallas’ defensive prowess. They were particularly impressed with the Cowboys’ speed, which choked away throwing windows and plugged up running lanes in the first half. The 49ers managed only 2.5 yards per carry before the break.
That’s where the 91-yard march came in to tilt the affair in the 49ers’ favor. The offense averaged 4.1 yards per carry after halftime. It needed balance to knock the Cowboys on their heels. That came largely from Kittle, a player who perhaps best embodies that evenness, with receiving abilities just as effective as his run-blocking prowess.
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And the 49ers also needed to land a punch that’d shatter the deadlock’s ice, and big-game circumstances dictated that this blow would have to come with some extra pizazz.
George Kittle celebrates after his highlight-reel catch. (Kyle Terada / USA Today)Kittle’s catch, fittingly, came on a play that wasn’t designed to be thrown in Kittle’s direction. Off the rollout from the play fake, Purdy was looking for either fullback Kyle Juszczyk or receivers Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel.
“I’m literally not even in the read,” Kittle said.
But the tight end showcased improvisation, another one of his strengths. In a December game against Washington, Kittle had effectively stolen a touchdown from 49ers receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III by breaking off of his route and running into open space. On Sunday, Kittle ad-libbed again, angling into open space at what he thought could be a favorable throwing angle for Purdy.
“Brock is a good quarterback who keeps his eyes up when the read is falling apart,” Kittle said. “His No. 1, his No. 2 wasn’t open. For him to look back inside and see a white glove fly up, for him to give me a shot at the ball, that’s just really good quarterback play.”
And a sensational catch that helped yank a tug-of-war into the 49ers’ favor. Kittle’s play was the knife that cut through the tense air at Levi’s Stadium and opened the door for the 49ers to close in on their 12th straight win.
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“I love football,” Kittle said. “Every opportunity we get to play, especially at home, is fantastic. Because you don’t know when your opportunity is going to end. So I was taking advantage of those opportunities. I was trying to be myself. I was trying to have fun. Football is a lot easier when you’re having fun. I don’t want anyone to get so stressed out and jittery and anxious because we’re playing a football game. The stakes are incredibly high. Goodness gracious, if you have fun, it’s so much easier.”
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The road, though, will only get harder with the Eagles awaiting the 49ers. But that only made Kittle, who was already detailing this next matchup, smile some more.
“They’ve got like six first-rounders on their D-line,” Kittle said. “They’re fantastic. They’re vets. They know how to play the game. They’re violent. They’re going to talk a lot of crap. That’s just something I’m looking forward to. Because every time we play Philly, it’s going to be a great game.
“It’s going to be cold. It’s going to be violent. It’s going to be a blast.”
(Top photo: Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images)
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