George Kittle might be the best player in the entire NFL, but the 49ers' star tight end only needed to touch the ball once in San Francisco's 37-20 win over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game.
Kittle's only catch in the game -- a 19-yard reception -- came with only 7:59 left in the contest. Three plays later, though, coach Kyle Shanahan tried to get the ball back in his tight end's hands again.
Before quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo could even take the snap on third down, Shanahan predicted the future. Kittle wasn't about to get his second catch of the day, he was about to draw a pass interference flag.
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SIGN UP HERE "5-yard out route, 85 versus their guy," Shanahan is seen telling an official before the play happens. "He's gonna go inside and break out, he (the defender) won't let him (Kittle) out. Watch."
Perfect prediction. A yellow flag immediately was thrown.
Former NFL quarterbacks Sage Rosenfels and Dan Orlovsky weighed in on how Shanahan knew exactly what would happen.
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Slightly over two minutes after the penalty, a 42-yard Robbie Gould field goal increased the 49ers' lead to 17 points.
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Shanahan's offensive genius has been praised throughout the 49ers' successful season. If San Francisco is to grab its sixth Super Bowl title with a win on Feb. 2, Shanahan will need to pull off some more magic against opposing coach Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs.
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