Kittle Poses Stiff(-Arm) Challenge

The San Francisco 49ers tight end can throw off would-be tacklers in a manner comparable to Derrick Henry.

Kyle Terada/USA Today Sports

NASHVILLE – The possibility of payback for one or more members of the Tennessee Titans defense exists with Thursday night’s game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Keep in mind, they are the ones who delighted on the sideline every time in recent seasons that running back Derrick Henry made a player or players on the opposing defense look silly. Recall the night he tossed aside Buffalo’s Josh Norman like a wadded-up tissue. Or his 99-yard touchdown run, when he literally kept half of Jacksonville’s defense at arms-length.

There have been many other instances as well that have helped establish Henry as the NFL’s preeminent power back and gave players on his defense. Each also gave his teammates reason pause to think about what could have been had they been the ones trying to get the two-time rushing champion to the ground.

If karma comes calling in the prime-time Week 15 contest, it likely will be in the person of 49ers tight end George Kittle, an All-Pro and Pro Bowler who has a comparable ability to fight off tackle attempts.

“He probably has one of the better stiff-arms in the league outside of Derrick Henry,” safety Kevin Byard said Tuesday. “He’s great after the catch … Even if he catches the ball, it has to be a catch-tackle because if you give him space – probably two or three yards – he’s going to throw a stiff-arm.”

At 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, Kittle is about the same size at Henry (6-foot-3, 247) but presents a different challenge. As a tight end, he often catches the ball in space, which means it is more difficult to gang-tackle him before he gets going.

And he is going to catch the ball. Two weeks ago, he had 13 receptions for 151 yards against Cincinnati. The game before that he had 181 yards and two touchdowns on nine receptions against Seattle.

Kittle currently ranks fourth among all tight ends with 63 receptions and third with 850 yards even though he missed three games in October. More than half of his yards – 435 of them – have come after the catch, which is consistent with what he has done throughout his career. Of his 4,429 receiving yards, 2,204 (49.8 percent) have come after the catch.

Kittle has averaged 6.9 yards after the catch this season. Among players with at least 50 receptions, that is best among tight ends and fifth overall. He has had at least one gain of more than 20 yards in six of his 11 appearances, including his last three.

“He’s a great player,” Tennessee defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said. “He can do a little bit of everything. I think he’s tremendous with the ball in his hands. … Overall, he’s good at everything. It’s going to be a big challenge for us in the passing game.

“We’re going to have to know where he is, know where he’s lined up, what they’re asking him to do in their game plan. And hopefully, we can contain him a little bit. It’s going to be a big challenge for us.”

Kittle’s second reception this season was a 35-yard gain that included 15 yards after he shoved aside Detroit safety Tracy Walker. Last Sunday against Atlanta, he picked up a first down after he shrugged off an attempted tackle from Falcons linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles. Like Henry, there have been plenty of others as well.

At the start of the season, no tight end had forced more missed tackles – 45 of them – than Kittle during his time in the NFL, which began when San Francisco selected him in the fifth round of the 2017 draft. This season, his 18 are second at his position to Kansas City’s Travis Kelce’s 19 (Kelce has not missed a game).

“We are going to need to get as many people to the football as possible,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. “(Kittle) is very good with the football. He is an excellent player. He has speed and a good catch radius. He is a very good player.”

One who can do unto members of the Titans defense what they have seen one of their teammates do unto others.

“You’ve got to eliminate space with this guy,” Byard said. “He’s stiff-arming guys. He’s not running out of bounds. So, he plays with that type of swagger and energy. We’re going to have to play with an energy as well against a guy like him.”

And hope they don’t end up on the wrong side of a highlight.