SANTA CLARA -- 49ers tight end George Kittle had a record-setting day in Sunday's 20-14 win over the Broncos. But after he gained 210 yards on seven receptions in the first half, the Broncos' defensive scheme effectively shut down Kittle.
What Kittle did in the first half still left a strong impression on Broncos players and their head coach, though. Several of them spoke after the game about his performance.
Broncos coach Vance Joseph explained there were missed assignments on one of Kittle’s bigger plays. He also confirmed Denver had game-planned for him.
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SIGN UP HERE “Well, we had one blown coverage, and we had a couple where we just didn’t cover him," Joseph said. "He beat us one-on-one. He’s a great player. We knew coming into the game that he’s the guy we had to stop, and we didn’t get it done.”
Outside linebacker Von Miller was very complimentary of Kittle’s play-making abilities. He took note of the tight end's penchant to extend plays, which he did more than once. Kittle was able to rack up 115 yards after a catch in just his two longest receptions combined.
“85 is a hell of a player,” Miller said. “George Kittle’s a hell of a player, and he took some 10-yard plays the distance today. There's not too many tight ends in the league that can do that."
“We knew coming into the game that he was going to be talented. We knew coming into the game he was going to make plays, but the plays that he made today, he just killed us on top of the penalties, and on top of my penalties that increased the situation. He just killed us.”
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Nose tackle Shelby Harris appreciated the way Kittle played the game but obviously noted the defense’s inability to stop him in the first half.
“He had a good game,” Harris said. “He went out there and played football the way it is supposed to be played. That’s what you are supposed to do. That’s the goal. We have to go out there and do everything better. There is no excuse.”
Safety Justin Simmons complimented 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan’s game-planning when asked about Kittle’s first half.
“They did some things schematically offensively,” Simmons said. “They found different ways to get him the football. We came in at halftime and made those corrections to fix those big plays we were giving up. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough. We just need to get a couple more turnovers to truly get us back into it.”
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Safety Darian Stewart complemented Kittle, as well as Shanahan’s ability to use him schematically.
“They had some stuff for him,” Stewart said. “He’s a great talent. We saw it on film, too. They found a way to get him the ball. He’s a solid player. He’s going to be good for a long time.”
The 49ers have a week to prepare for their second face-off with the Seahawks, who held the team to 16 points just two weeks ago.