The San Francisco 49ers didn’t always look impressive on Sunday in their Week 2 matchup versus the Los Angeles Rams, but they showed bursts of brilliance, and those bursts were enough to earn them a 30-23 victory.
Their defense was very porous in the first half, as their feared pass rush was nearly non-existent. But offensively, they were able to move the chains with regularity, and second-year quarterback Brock Purdy continued to look wise and productive beyond his years. He completed 17 of 25 passes for 206 yards and calmly directed San Francisco’s attack throughout the afternoon.
Veteran star tight end George Kittle was somewhat quiet with three receptions for 30 yards. However, he did reach a major statistical accomplishment that put him in some very select company.
He became the fastest player in the history of the Niners to reach 400 career receptions. By doing so in 84 games, he beat the old record held by legendary wide receiver Jerry Rice, who took 85 games to get to 400 catches.
Any time someone is able to beat Rice, the greatest wideout in NFL history, in any statistical category, that player is doing something right.
Kittle is coming off a season in which he had a somewhat disappointing 765 receiving yards, but he did score a career-high 11 touchdowns in 2022. He also developed as something of a security blanket for Purdy once “Mr. Irrelevant” took over the starting QB job in Week 13 after a season-ending injury to Jimmy Garoppolo.
San Francisco has a wealth of weapons on offense, and one thing that makes the team scary on that side of the football is the fact that its skill players are also willing and able to block effectively. That aspect of its attack helped running back Christian McCaffrey surpass 100 rushing yards once again, while wide receiver Deebo Samuel had 63 receiving yards, plus 38 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
The 49ers will have a short layoff before hosting the New York Giants on Thursday and will need another big game from George Kittle to continue their win streak.
