4 players the Vikings need to worry about when facing the 49ers
By Adam Patrick
George Kittle – TE
With Rob Gronkowski no longer in the NFL, George Kittle has unofficially taken over the title as the best tight end in the league.
Kittle emerged last season as one of the better tight ends in the NFL and this year, he continued to maintain that status. In 14 games this year, the 49ers tight end hauled in 85 passes for 1,053 yards, and five touchdowns.
Even though he missed two contests this season, Kittle still led all tight ends and wide receivers in the league with 602 yards after the catch. Given his size (6-foot-4, 250 pounds), the San Francisco tight end is one of the toughest matchups for opposing defenses in the NFL.
In addition to his receiving skills, Kittle is also an excellent blocker. His abilities as a blocker played a big part in the 49ers finishing 2019 with the second-most rushing yards in the league.
How and who the Vikings choose to defend the talented San Francisco tight end on Saturday will be interesting to watch. Judging by what Mike Zimmer has done during the past few weeks, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see Minnesota use a variety of different defenders (Eric Kendricks, Harrison Smith, Xavier Rhodes) to try and contain Kittle.