Why Chiefs will have problems against 49ers George Kittle in Super Bowl 54

The San Francisco 49ers will be playing the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. Niner Noise takes a look at a specific matchup that the 49ers can take advantage of to help ensure victory.

On some level, saying that San Francisco 49ers star tight end George Kittle will cause problems for the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV feels a little too obvious.

Kittle, a first team All-Pro tight end and the winner of Pro Football Focus‘ Dwight Stephenson Award for 2019, which is the player they deem as the league’s best irrespective of position, has been a problem for pretty much everyone in the NFL.

And the worst part is that, even when he’s not a major part of the game’s final box score, Kittle thrives as a run blocker.

He’s helped the team run the ball 89 times for 471 yards and six touchdowns in the playoffs with blocking like this:

The former Iowa tight end, who finished the year with 85 receptions for 1053 yards and five touchdowns, has only caught four balls for a scant 35 yards, with a long of 19, in the playoffs. But his one catch against the Packers, which didn’t come until the 7:59 mark of the 4th quarter, indicates that he’s capable of making a difference at any time.

So what does this all mean for the 49ers as they get ready to face off against the Chiefs for the right to be crowned champions of the NFL for the 2019 season? The best way to answer that question is to look at the way the Chiefs defense has played against tight ends this season.

According to Pro Football Reference, the Chiefs defense allowed the second most targets in the NFL to opposing tight ends with 141.

Moreover, Kansas City has given up 96 receptions (3rd worst), a 68% reception percentage, for 961 yards (5th worst), 10 yards per reception, and five touchdowns (12th best, actually one better than the 49ers).

Some may argue that this says more about the quality of the Chiefs’ opponents than anything about their defense, but a quick glance at the schedule suggests that, outside of a few outstanding performances, the Chiefs were often allowing between 5-to-7 catches for at least 50 yards.

The major outliers were the Texans in Week 6, which had nine receptions for 108 yards, and the Raiders in Week 13, which managed 10 for 125.

Even those games didn’t necessarily mean the Chiefs were unsuccessful as a team, as they lost the Texans matchup 31-24 and crushed the Raiders 40-9 in spite of a massive game from Raiders tight end Darren Waller.

Part of the issue is the dearth of options in terms of underneath defenders in the middle of the field.

Not one of their linebackers has faired particularly well in coverage, according to PFF, with coverage grades of just 66.3 for Ben Niemann, 59.3 for Anthony Hitchens, and 47.7 for Damien Wilson. Reggie Ragland has amassed a 69.2, albeit over the course of just 87 coverage snaps.

Using safety Tyrann Mathieu, with his coverage grade of 81.7, to cover Kittle is a much better option, but he generally features as Kansas City’s slot cornerback.

Therefore, if 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan chooses to spread the Chiefs defense out, that would leave receivers Emmanuel Sanders, Deebo Samuel, and Kendrick Bourne covered by weaker corners and safeties.

Let’s just say that PFF grades starting corners Charvarius Ward and Bashaud Breeland as better run defenders than coverage guys.

There is one important thing to remember in the midst of all these numbers: George Kittle is better than every tight end that the Chiefs have faced so far this year. He’s probably the best tight end in the league, with all due respect to the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce, mostly due to Kittle’s dominance as both a receiver and a blocker.

It’s safe to say the the Chiefs will also have their hands full with the 49ers potent run game. Sudden superstar running back Raheem Mostert has been leading the charge throughout the end of the season and into the playoffs.

Although they’ve been improving in that element of their defense, the Niners multiplicity in that area should give the Chiefs fits.

Ultimately, it seems like Kittle stands the best chance of being a thorn in the side of the Chiefs defense, which should give the 49ers a good opportunity to take home the Lombardi Trophy.