3 bold predictions for 49ers vs Seahawks Wild Card showdown
By Adam Weinrib
2. George Kittle Approaches TJ Hockenson Supernova Status
Allow us to remind those who might’ve forgotten: before heading from the Lions to the Vikings, tight end TJ Hockenson put an all-time smoking on the Seahawks’ pass defense in Week 4 this season.
Hockenson, known as a possession weapon and red zone threat who can occasionally go nuclear, racked up a remarkable 179 yards on 12 catches against Seattle, including an 81-yard scamper. That game was wild, but not entirely out of character for the Seahawks’ containment abilities this season.
Zach Ertz was targeted 18 times in two games against the ‘Hawks, pulling in 12 catches for 110 yards. Travis Kelce caught six balls for 113 yards when he lined up against Seattle. Even lesser names like Tyler Conklin of the Jets nabbed six for 80, when given the opportunity!
The Seahawks pass defense struggles to contain the league’s truly elite tight ends (and also struggles to contain some truly mediocre ones!). In George Kittle’s only start against Seattle this season, he caught four balls on five targets for 93 yards.
This might be an opportunity to double those targets and add easy chunk yardage, en route to between 130-150 receiving yards for Kittle.