49ers: 5 players who must perform better after 3 weeks of action

49ers Tight End George Kittle

The 49ers possess one of the NFL’s top offensive weapons in tight end George Kittle.

Kittle is a top-three tight end in the league with the ability to completely swing the momentum in the Niners’ favor. Simply put, Kittle is an absolute stud.

So why is he even mentioned here?

The reason is that he has been almost invisible in the passing game, especially over the first two weeks. While Kittle has been a blocking demon, for whatever reason he is not receiving the number of looks he should be getting. The majority of the blame for his lack of production lies more with head coach Kyle Shanahan than his own. And quarterback Jimmy Garappolo, too, should also take part in the blame. After all, Kittle is getting open and is just not getting the ball thrown his way as much as he should be for the level of physical ability he possesses.

Regardless of who is to blame, Kittle’s lack of production is hurting the team, and that production needs to increase for San Francisco to compete against other talented teams. The 49ers’ game plan against their NFC West rivals, the Seahawks, should include a target range for Kittle somewhere between 10 to 12 times.

With the game plan featuring him more, the next player needs to execute the plan and get Kittle the ball.