It’s not exactly a bold statement to imply that 49ers tight end George Kittle is difficult to defend on the football field.
After all, he has been selected to five Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams over his eight-year NFL career.
During the Kansas City Chiefs’ media availability Friday, linebacker Nick Bolton — who is set to face off against Kittle on Sunday — had high praise for one of the NFL’s more unique weapons.
“He’s a huge matchup problem,” Bolton told reporters about Kittle. “He’s bigger than most safeties and faster than most linebackers.”
That mix of size and speed makes Kittle incredibly hard to bring down with the football in his hands. And Bolton would know that well, having faced the San Francisco tight end twice in his career — once in the 2022 NFL regular season and, of course, in Super Bowl LVIII this past February.
After allowing Kittle to accrue 98 receiving yards and a touchdown back in 2022, the Chiefs appeared to figure him out last season, only allowing two catches for 4 yards from the key 49ers target.
Heading into Sunday, Bolton hinted at the Chiefs’ game plan for Kittle this time around.
“We have to mix our matchups up on him, put some hands on him when we can, disrupt his timing and hopefully can frustrate him a little bit as the game progresses,” Bolton explained. “But I think it’s going to be different matchups, different guys get on him a little bit, try to rough him up when we can, and then ultimately just make them make tight throws and live to play another down.”
With running back Christian McCaffrey still sidelined due to injury, the 49ers will need to keep Kittle involved to have a chance at avenging their Super Bowl defeat.
