49ers Need to Feature George Kittle Against the Buccaneers

George Kittle is one of the keys to the 49ers achieving victory against the Buccaneers. He needs to be featured early and often.

Oct 27, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) carries the ball against the Dallas Cowboys during the second quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

The key to the San Francisco 49ers defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will come down to their offense.

Plenty of weaknesses are there for the 49ers to take advantage of. But there is one that can prove to be the key to achieving victory. That key is George Kittle. The 49ers need to feature Kittle early and often against the Buccaneers. Too many times this season the 49ers have neglected him early.

It cannot happen against the Buccaneers, especially since Kittle has a favorable matchup. The Buccaneers have allowed a league-high 9.5 yards per target to receivers aligned in the slot this season, per Next Gen Stats. Of their six touchdowns allowed to slot receivers this season, four of them have been caught by tight ends, the most in the NFL.

Kittle is the only receiver in the NFL to have gained at least 200 receiving yards when aligned tight (279) and in the slot (221) this season. He has also been efficient on a per-route basis from both alignments — he is the only receiver to have averaged more than 3.0 yards per route when aligned tight and in the slot (min. 50 routes).

So, the Buccaneers are begging the 49ers to beat them with Kittle. It is low-hanging fruit that the 49ers must jump at. Kittle has been by far the best offensive player for the 49ers this year. Let him stack another explosive game instead of letting be an afterthought.

The potential return of Christian McCaffrey is what could make it difficult. Kyle Shanahan may want to get him going and run him heavily like before. The Buccaneers are susceptible to a running style like the 49ers, so they will certainly look to exploit that.

But Kittle is another way for them to make it a blowout game. Take the Buccaneers out of the game early so that it can be cruise-controlled the rest of the way.