Eagles vs. SF 49ers: 5 players who’ll tear up Philly’s defense
By Peter Panacy
No. 1: SF 49ers Tight End George Kittle
With all the secondary shuffling the Eagles will likely have to employ this Sunday, one of the other ramifications working in the SF 49ers’ favor, aside from Brandon Aiyuk potentially going off, is tight end George Kittle winding up being a major impact player.
Kittle, who missed Weeks 2 and 3 with a knee injury suffered in the season opener, finally returned to practice in full this week and is expected to be a full go for Sunday’s contest.
More from Niner Noise
- 49ers 2023 NFL Draft tracker: Pick-by-pick news and analysis
- Predicting 49ers NFL Draft picks by looking at final mocks
- DraftKings NFL Draft Promo – Win $150 Guaranteed on Any $5 Bet
- 2023 NFL Draft: EDGE Byron Young could be impact player for 49ers
- 5 low-key NFL Draft options for 49ers who are flying under the radar
That’s great news for San Francisco, and it’s for multiple reasons.
But the biggest will be his impact in the receiving game, particularly as one of Nick Mullens’ favorite targets. According to Pro Football Focus, Mullens boasted a passer rating of 107.8 when targeting Kittle.
Yeah, that’s pretty good.
The other element, too, is Jalen Mills. Mills, so far on the season, is allowing opposing quarterbacks to post a 118.8 passer rating when targeting him in coverage.
Based on those two analytical numbers, the Kittle-Eagles matchup looks to be one highly weighed in the Niners’ favor.
It’s been a while since Kittle had one of those dominant games, but fans should expect him to go off against a struggling Philadelphia squad that’ll have more than enough problems trying to cover both him and Aiyuk.
Next. 5 young 49ers players who look like emerging ballers. dark
The SF 49ers and Eagles kick off their Sunday Night Football Week 4 matchup on Oct. 4 at 8:20 p.m. ET.