49ers vs. Cardinals: 5 players to watch for San Francisco in Week 8
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: Tight End George Kittle
When teams are struggling like the 49ers, it’s never a bad idea to look for the biggest playmakers and let them take over the game.
Such should be the case for George Kittle, who managed five catches for 83 yards the last time these two teams met.
Kittle’s 527 receiving yards through Week 7 rank third among all NFL tight ends, only behind the Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce (563) and the Philadelphia Eagles’ Zach Ertz (618). And while San Francisco’s wide receivers haven’t exactly contributed much over the course of the year, at least the production the Niners are getting out of Kittle this year has been more than commendable.
The Cardinals’ primary responsibility of covering Kittle will fall upon former 49ers safety Antoine Bethea, who owns a 73.8 pass-coverage grade, per Pro Football Focus.
That’s pretty good. And Arizona has been pretty good at limiting yardage to tight ends this season. So far, its defense has given up a mere 275 receiving yards to tight ends — ninth best in this category.
So the Kittle-versus-Cardinals defense matchup should be one to watch, and it’s likely whoever wins this bout winds up winning the game.