Photo credit: @49ers

By: Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA–George Kittle stole the show for the San Francisco 49ers and made history en route to a 20-14 victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday. The tight end finished just five yards shy of breaking the single-game reception record for TEs finishing with 210 yards on seven catches, including an 85-yard touchdown.

He finished with the eighth-most receiving yards in a game in franchise history and also became the all-time single-season leader in receiving yards for a tight end. He currently sits with 1,103 yards and is the first TE to ever reach a 1,000 for the Red and Gold.

All 210 yards on Sunday came in the first half, the second most receiving yards in the first half in NFL history. His incredible half led the 49ers to a 20-0 halftime lead. Shanahan later apologized multiple times to Kittle for not giving him a chance at the record.

When asked if he were disappointed in not getting the record, Kittle said “We won. That’s all that matters.”

However, when Kittle stopped so did the 49ers offense, putting up just 23 total yards in the third quarter and 89 total yards in the second half that left the door open for the Broncos to come back. Fortunately for the 49ers, their defense played just well enough to prevent the collapse.

The Broncos were 5-of-7 on fourth down in the fourth quarter during their comeback and were down by six with three minutes to go. The 49ers couldn’t afford to give Denver the ball back with 3:39 to go. On third-down-and-seven, Nick Mullens came up clutch finding Dante Pettis for 31 yards to clinch the game.

Pettis has remained on fire for San Francisco, as the second round rookie caught three balls for 49 yards and a score. His five TD catches this year make him the first 49er since Anquan Bolden in 2014 to hit the mark.

Mullens was great once again passing 22-of-33 for 332 yards and two touchdowns, and a pick. He finished with a 102.1 passer rating, his second 100-plus game in five attempts.

The 49ers are now .500 at Levi’s Stadium this year, something they haven’t done past week one since Jim Tomsula was the head coach of San Francisco. With two remaining games at home against the Seahawks and Bears, it seems like a long shot, but there’s a chance for them to finish with a winning home record for the first time at Levi’s.