Barber: Count on a big game from 49ers' George Kittle vs. Packers

SANTA CLARA - By George Kittle standards, it was practically a no-show.

Yes, the 49ers tight end received the usual round of applause for his willingness and ability to batter defenders in the run game. But his receiving numbers against the Minnesota Vikings in last Saturday's NFC divisional playoff game were puny: five targets, three catches, 16 yards. The yardage was his lowest in a game since his rookie season of 2017.

As you may have noticed, Kittle's shrinkage didn't matter much in the grand scheme. The 49ers won 27-10, breezing into a matchup with the Green Bay Packers in this Sunday's conference championship game.

That's the beauty of Kyle Shanahan's offense. It's varied enough that his best player can have a quiet game, and his team can still punish the opponent and advance.

Just the same, don't expect Kittle to be a glorified offensive tackle against Green Bay this weekend. In fact, expect the opposite. All signs point to the NFL's best all-around tight end having a field day.

Wednesday, there was a sign pointing in the other direction. It was Kittle's ankle, which was sore enough to keep him out of practice that day. Though he left the field without a limp, the news was enough to get the Niners faithful reaching for medication. The 49ers are 7½-point favorites against Green Bay. The one thing that could erase that gap is a major injury - such as an injury to George Kittle's ankle. And a photo emerged of the tight end's left foot bent under the weight of Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson in the previous game.

Imagine what it would take, though, to keep the wild-eyed Kittle out of the NFC title game. A monsoon, perhaps. Or catatonia. The sore ankle never had a chance, and Kittle was back on the field Thursday, practicing in full.

“I feel fabulous. Thanks for asking,” he said when queried after practice.

But how about the ankle?

“I feel fabulous,” Kittle repeated with a pasted-on smile. “Thanks for asking.”

And yeah, he's probably gonna wreak some havoc on the Packers.

For one thing, Kittle doesn't have back-to-back slow games, or at least he hasn't since he was a rookie. When Kittle caught two passes for 22 yards against Detroit in September of 2018, he bounced back with five for 79 at Kansas City the next week. When Green Bay limited him to four for 30 later that year, Kittle followed up with five for 98 and a touchdown against the Rams. And when a stout Baltimore defense held him to two for 17 on Dec. 1, he managed to put up six for 67 and a TD at New Orleans a week later.

It's part of the Kittle legend, which has building since the day he arrived as a fifth-round draft choice from Iowa.

“One of his first weeks here, Mike McDaniel, our run-game coordinator, just told me to keep an eye on him, and to see, as he put it, the freakishness in him,” 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk said of Kittle. “He has a freakish athleticism that doesn't always look pretty, but it's extremely efficient. So (McDaniel) kind of put me on it. And I did have an eye on him, and I saw. I said, ‘There's something special in there if he wants to be.'”

Just as relevant to Sunday, the 2019 Packers are vulnerable against good tight ends.

Zach Ertz led all Philadelphia receivers with seven receptions for 65 yards against them in Week 4. The Raiders' Darren Waller torched them for seven catches, 126 yards and two touchdowns in Week 7. Kansas City's Travis Kelce got 'em for four receptions, 63 yards and a touchdown in Week 8, the Chargers' Hunter Henry for seven catches and 84 yards in Week 9, Carolina's Greg Olsen for eight and 98 in Week 10, Giants rookie Kaden Smith for six and 70 in Week 13.

To be clear, the Packers won most of those games. They do a lot of things well. Covering A-list tight ends just isn't one of them.

Oh, and there was one other tight end who punched some holes in the Green Bay defense this year: Kittle, whose six-catch, 129-yard, one-touchdown performance on Nov. 24 was one of his best of the season. All of that came before the fourth quarter, as the 49ers nursed a huge lead en route to a 37-8 win.

Kittle's big play that day was a 61-yard touchdown on which he caught a pass from Jimmy Garoppolo over the middle and found nothing but Levi's Stadium turf between himself and the end zone. Green Bay cornerback Kevin King was spinning in circles on that one. Let's assume there was some sort of busted coverage that the Packers are likely to clean up this time around.

But Kittle found other ways to torment the Pack. At one point in the second quarter, he had two receptions for 40 yards on consecutive snaps. It looked like both of those came against zone coverage. Kittle is such a physical specimen, and such a competitor, that we're used to seeing him win one-on-one battles. His ability to find gaps in the zone is underappreciated.

“Zones are just kind of a feel thing,” Kittle said. “I actually got better at zone, like finding spots in zones, watching (wide receiver) Trent Taylor because I think he's absolutely incredible at it. … But yeah, it's just something you get better at just watching tape. You see where guys drop, but mostly just a feel thing. You've just got to find a soft spot, and what's awesome about Jimmy is he's got such a quick release, he's going to hit you, and you've just got to drop set and get vertical.”

No one in Santa Clara cared to talk much about how many opportunities the tight end might get in the Green Bay rematch. That would be (a) giving away an element of the game plan and (b) perhaps stoking the fire of an already-motivated Packers team.

“There's been games where I didn't think I'd get a lot, and I had 210 yards in a half,” Kittle said. “It really depends on just how the game goes. I mean, I'm not really worried about it, it takes care of itself.”

Shanahan and Juszczyk echoed the idea that an individual 49ers player is rarely targeted for heavy usage during the game planning. In other words, Kittle will spin the statistical counter if the opportunity presents itself. I'm telling you it will, and that the tight end will take full advantage.

This game will be closer than that 37-8 trouncing in November. But not because the Packers will be able to put a lid on the freakish Kittle.