We think it will take care of itself just as we get going.” We definitely want to get him the ball more, but it’s something we’re not that concerned about. “Kittle affects the game in so many ways, the run and the pass. “The plays that went to him (Monday), I think he did a good job in the game. “I think the more Kittle is out there and healthy, the more he practices, the more he can get back in a routine, I think that stuff will take care of itself,” Shanahan said. Kittle wasn’t known to be dealing with a significant injury near the end of last season. Shanahan referenced that Kittle missed the first two games this season with a groin injury. Kittle also had a miscommunication with Garoppolo on a short route in the fourth quarter, when he broke inside and Garoppolo threw to the sideline. That included an apparent 1-yard touchdown catch that was overturned because he had a foot out of bounds. Shanahan was asked about the reason for Kittle’s modest receiving numbers after he was targeted on four of his 16 routes Monday. But I know (his lack of catches has) been in the case in some other games, too.” Kittle “usually gets less (pass-catching) opportunities just with the protection game plan and our run game plan. “That’s always the case against the Rams,” Shanahan said. Said Wednesday that Kittle typically has been needed more as a blocker against the Rams because of the presence of Donald and other capable linemen. The 49ers were playing without All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams against Donald, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, which explains the steady diet of quick-release, wideout screens. And Kittle twice leaked out very late on passes after fulfilling his primary job: blocking. Kittle had a one-on-one block on Floyd on a read-pass option play by Garoppolo.

Kittle combined with right tackle Mike McGlinchey to double team defensive tackle Aaron Donald on another. He combined with left tackle Colton McKivitz to double team defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson on one pass. Kittle was used as a blocker on five wide That doesn’t include Kittle’s assignment on one of his two catches, when he chipped linebacker Leonard Floyd before grabbing a 4-yard dump-off from Garoppolo in the fourth quarter. Out-of-bounds throwaway that ended the first half, Kittle had blocking duties on 10 of 26 passes (38%). So why is Kittle, an elite blocker, producing statistics befitting a blocking tight end?Ī review of Monday’s win over the Rams revealed Kittle’s numbers (2 for 24) were modest at least partly because, well, he was used as a blocking tight end. In his first eight NFL games as a finding-his-way rookie in 2017, for example, the fifth-round pick had 24 receptions for 250 yards and a TD.Ĭonsidering it began right after the most prolific three-game stretch of his career: Kittle had 28 receptions, 425 yards and three TDs in games against the Seahawks, Bengals and Falcons in December. Kittle, 28, is in the midst of the least-productive pass-catching stretch of his six-season, 69-game career. His totals: 21 receptions, 220 yards, one TD. Kittle, who had 15 receptions for 183 yards and a touchdown in a game in 2020, has barely surpassed that production in his past eight games (including playoffs).

Just dance 2020 review