The NFC stars ended up losing 26-7 to the AFC in the 2019 Pro Bowl, although San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle made his presence felt on the field.
Tight end George Kittle sure made the 2019 Pro Bowl a bit more watchable for San Francisco 49ers fans, him being one of three Niners representatives from Sunday's NFL all-star game exhibition bout.
Kittle, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and fullback Kyle Juszczyk all ended up seeing starting reps for the NFC squad, which lost to the AFC 26-7 in Orlando, Florida.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson managed to hit Kittle for a 10-yard pickup in the first quarter, yet the NFC's red-zone drive stalled when Juszczyk's fourth-down rush attempt gained zero yards. In total, Kittle managed five catches, which led all pass catchers from both conferences, for 39 yards. And while none were of the massive yards-after-the-catch variety he made so notable during the regular season, at least Kittle had a sizable impact in what was otherwise an underwhelming performance by the NFC offense.
Yet arguably the best thing from ESPN's coverage of the Pro Bowl might have been the brief feature they did on Kittle, which included this golden throwback photo:
This picture of George Kittle might be the best thing from the #ProBowl coverage today. #49ers #49wz pic.twitter.com/OjiMsOfA4M
— Peter Panacy (@PeterPanacy) January 27, 2019
Not to be outdone, Buckner managed a solid exhibition effort with one tackle and two passes defended.
And if you wanted another little nugget, the Dallas Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott, New York Giants' Saquon Barkley and the New Orleans Saints' Alvin Kamara -- all Pro Bowl running backs -- ended up seeing more than a handful of snaps for the NFC defense. Meanwhile, Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey hauled in a touchdown pass for the AFC.
Well, if the game itself is silly, might as well enjoy the silly moments.
This will be the last on-field efforts we'll see from 49ers players until the preseason kicks off this August. Meanwhile, Super Bowl LIII between the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots kicks off on Sunday, Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. ET.
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Written by:Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
