The San Francisco 49ers dominated their way to a Week 1 victory on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia.
They won the game 27-7, and it also marked the astonishing return of veteran tight end George Kittle, who tore his Achilles in January during the Wild Card round of the NFL postseason against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Yet, after a hard offseason of rehab and a rapid recovery, he returned to the field Thursday night and hauled in two receptions for 12 yards as he split snaps with several other tight ends.
Kittle Sends Out Social Media Post After 49ers Win
On Friday evening, as the 49ers returned from Australia, Kittle took to social media to send out a heartfelt Instagram post.
“8 months to the day since an Achilles tear I was back on a field with my brothers!!! Football rocks,” Kittle wrote on Instagram. “Thanks to Melbourne and it’s awesome people for embracing the team all week. We had blast getting the Dub at the G!!! Bang bang.”
Check it out:
Brock Purdy Talks Kittle’s Shocking Recovery
Prior to Thursday’s game, after it was pretty much confirmed that Kittle was going to play, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy praised his tight end’s work ethic and how quickly he was able to recover.
“Obviously, George did a bunch of different stuff and I feel like he could tell you probably more about what he did exactly,” Purdy said.
“But from my end, just watching him, he was just so specific with his rehab every single day when I saw him and the things that he did.
“But, all I know is he went hard. He did everything he could to get back for this Week 1, so that’s a credit to him, man. That’s actually remarkable to be able to have that kind of injury and do what he did to get back.”
Purdy ended up completing 25-of-34 passes for 205 yards, three touchdowns, and just one interception, while rushing six times for 29 yards.
San Francisco 49ers Star George Kittle Sends Heartfelt Post After Rams Win