George Kittle had himself a night.
The former Iowa star turned San Francisco 49ers standout tight end went off with a career first, hauling in three grabs from quarterback Brock Purdy of 19, 38 and 10 yards for a hat trick of touchdowns.
Kittle’s career performance helped lead the 42-10 rout of the Dallas Cowboys.
Afterwards, he tipped the cap to his quarterback for finding him in spots where he could easily run and make plays.
“No, that’s honestly the best feeling, because when you don’t get tackled, it’s awesome. I’m going to wake up tomorrow feeling great. So, just shout out to Purdy for just getting me the ball in space and letting me run with it. That was the most fun I could have possibly had,” Kittle said in his postgame conversation with NBC sideline reporter Melissa Stark.
Stark then asked if he would have to add to or tweak his touchdown celebrations after ripping off three in one night.
“The spike will never be a bad thing, so I’m just going to continue to spike it because that’s what tight ends are born to do,” Kittle said.
Kittle entered Sunday night with 14 receptions for 148 yards on the season. The Hawkeye great exits with 17 grabs for 215 yards and three scores.
In the process, he reopened some old wounds for Dallas fans. The Cowboys have been bounced from each of the past two postseasons by the 49ers.
San Francisco beat Dallas 23-17 in the Wild Card round to end the Cowboys’ 2021 season and then 19-12 last year in the Divisional Round to end their 2022 season. Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott has now thrown six interceptions against the 49ers across the three losses.
Conversely, Kittle registered five grabs for 95 yards in last season’s playoff win.
Social media reacted to Kittle’s big night and the reopening of wounds and woes for the Dallas Cowboys.