At halftime of Sunday’s game against the Broncos, 49ers tight end George Kittle was 5 yards short of a league record.
When the game ended, he was still 5 yards short of a league record.
Kittle caught seven passes for 210 yards and a touchdown in the first half, putting him within reach of the all-time record for receiving yards in a game for a tight end (214). That was set by Shannon Sharpe of the Broncos in 2002, a team which was coached by Mike Shanahan.
“The only people that were happy were probably Shannon Sharpe and my dad,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said, via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Sharpe needed overtime to get that one (including an 8-yard catch in the extra session), but Kittle got his in a half, as he was shut out after the break, and the younger Shanahan expressed some regret about that. He rattled off a list of near-misses, when Kittle was either covered or something else went awry. But they only ran 27 plays in the second half, after the Broncos woke up, so it became more difficult.
“I thought it would happen naturally throughout the game,” 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.”
If nothing else, he has the record for yards by a tight end in regulation. And in a half. So he’s got that going for him.