Vikings Defense Could Prove Challenging for George Kittle

One of the concerning aspects that the 49ers should have regarding the Vikings is their defense - specifically with how they defend tight ends. George Kittle could be in for a long day in his divisional playoff debut.

The divisional playoff game is set for the San Francisco 49ers who will host the Minnesota Vikings at Levi’s Stadium. This is a matchup that no one could have foretold. It was essentially penciled in that the 49ers would take on Seattle for the third time this season. 

But Minnesota scrapped those plans by showing out at the SuperDome to defeat the Saints in overtime 26-20. Now they will look to add the 49ers to their upset list this Saturday in the divisional round. One of the concerning aspects that the 49ers should have regarding the Vikings is their defense - specifically with how they defend tight ends.

The Vikings defense could prove challenging for George Kittle.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Vikings allowed a passer rating of just 60.3 in the regular season on targets to tight ends, the lowest figure in the league by 28 points (49ers tank second at 88.4). Containing tight ends is this defense’s specialty. A huge reason why they are so successful at it is because of their safeties. Both Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris (One of the most underrated players) are one of the best pair of safeties in the league. 

If Jimmie Ward and Jaquiski Tartt are one of the best, then those two are right behind them. They can cover well and are not afraid of contact. Those are two ideal traits every team wants in their safeties. However, what is their best trait is their discipline. They do not make mental errors that creates a broken coverage. It is why their passer rating allowed against tight ends is so phenomenal. Smith and Harris execute their assignments so soundly. 

Mike Zimmer is the mastermind behind their defensive scheme, which is what allows them to be in the position to make tight ends irrelevant. Being able to execute an assigned coverage should not be taken for granted. Plenty of defensive backs fall into broken coverage due to miscommunication or outright misreading a play. That isn’t the case with these safeties. Kittle is by far the best offensive player on the 49ers, so they will do everything within their power to slow him down. 

However, the Vikings have not faced a tight end like Kittle who is a matchup nightmare. He excels at both blocking and receiving at such a high-level, which can’t be said for the majority of starting tight ends. The fact that he is an impact blocker makes it difficult to key in on him for play-action, where he does a hefty amount damage as a receiver. Kittle and Kyle Shanahan were a match made in heaven. That is because Shanahan loves to have dynamic players in his offense so he can keep the opposition guessing. 

Facing the Vikings defense could be challenging for Kittle, but the reverse is also true. Facing Kittle could be a massive challenge to Minnesota. Seeing who prevails in that aspect of the game could determine the difference between winning and losing for these two teams in the divisional round.