George Kittle honored the past while delivering a stiff message to the Cowboys on Sunday.
The 49ers tight end, who torched the Cowboys for three touchdowns in San Francisco’s 42-10 win, wore a “F–k Dallas” shirt under his jersey for the “Sunday Night Football” matchup.
The 30-year-old Kittle showcased the shirt in an Instagram post, writing: “3 piece chicken tendy for turning 30! SNF always a blast! Who lost to me in rock paper scissors again?”
Kittle said Monday afternoon on “The Pat McAfee Show” that the shirt honored the 49ers-Cowboys battles of the past.
“That (shirt) was just on my loop, man. I put it on, was just wearing a T-shirt at the game. I don’t know how (f–k Dallas) got on there,” Kittle said in a joking manner. “I might’ve been mildly inspired by our guy [former linebacker] Gary Plummer, who wore that in the ’94 NFC Championship Game versus Dallas.
“There’s some things that need to be worn for the franchise and I think it’s just coincidence it just happened to appear on my chest on ‘Sunday Night Football.'”
Kittle unveiled the shirt after 49ers running back Jordan Mason’s 26-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter that all but ended the game, putting San Francisco ahead 42-10.
As his teammates celebrated, Kittle flashed fans seated in one half of the end zone his shirt before running to the other corner. He then showcased the shirt to those fans.
Kittle certainly had reason to feel good Sunday night as the 49ers cemented their place as one of the NFL’s top teams and perhaps the cream of the crop.
The 49ers dominated from start to finish, and Kittle led the way with his three-touchdown night.
Kittle caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brocky Purdy to start the scoring, then added a 38-yard touchdown in the second quarter to boost San Francisco’s lead to 14-0.
He completed the hat trick in the third quarter when he caught a 10-yard strike from Purdy to give the 49ers a 28-10 lead.
“This team is playing football at a very high level, all three phases,” Kittle told ESPN after the game. “We’re having a good time out there.”
The 49ers and Kittle have shown they own this version of the Cowboys, having knocked Dallas out of the playoffs in each of the last two years.
Dallas will have to start winning some of these games for the rivalry to return to its 1970s and 1990s status when the teams frequently battled for NFC supremacy.
Kittle’s shirt honored Plummer and the 1994 championship 49ers, who defeated Dallas, 38-28, in the NFC Championship Game en route to the franchise’s last Super Bowl title.
Dallas learned the hard way Sunday that it’s still not in San Francisco’s league, and that apparently Kittle is not a fan of America’s team.
Kittle and the 49ers (5-0) will attempt to stay undefeated on the road against the Browns in Week 6.