This year’s Super Bowl will feature a battle between two of the game’s best tight ends in Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs and George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers, and ahead of the heavyweight clash, Kelce raved about his opponent.
“He’s the best tight end in the league,” Kelce said of Kittle, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “He’s been playing lights out, playing the best football of his career and really catapulting that San Fran team through the playoffs, man. And I couldn’t be more proud of him and couldn’t be more honored to go up against George in another Super Bowl. Can’t say enough things about who he is as a guy, who his family is, can’t say a bad thing about him.”
That’s a pretty hefty compliment from one of the greatest tight ends to ever play football.
While Kittle may not have the career accolades of Kelce, he may very well have been the best tight end in the NFL this season. In 16 games, he hauled in 65 receptions for 1,020 yards and six touchdowns en route to his fifth Pro Bowl nod and his second First-Team All-Pro selection.
Kittle, who played his collegiate football at the University of Iowa, was selected by the 49ers in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
The 30-year-old enjoyed a solid rookie campaign, catching 43 passes for 515 yards and a couple of scores, but the following year, Kittle broke out, racking up 88 catches for 1,377 yards and five touchdowns.
Overall, Kittle has posted three 1,000-yard seasons.
Meanwhile, Kelce snared 93 balls for 984 yards while reaching the end zone five times in 16 contests this year, notching his ninth straight Pro Bowl selection. He also put together a monster performance in the AFC Championship Game, logging 11 grabs for 116 yards and a touchdown in the Chiefs’ win over the Baltimore Ravens.
The veteran had registered seven straight 1,000-yard campaigns before this season.
We’ll see who comes out on top between Travis Kelce and George Kittle on Feb. 11.
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