Niners TE George Kittle tallied 7 receptions for 76 yards and a TD in Sunday's loss to the Vikings. He finished second on the team in catches, yards, and targets (8) while benefiting from increased passing volume in a game San Francisco trailed most of the way.
Kittle actually ran a route on just 69% of QB Brock Purdy's dropbacks in this game, according to Pro Football Focus.
That marked a dip vs. his 88.6% route rate in Week 1. His rate against the Vikings also checked in lower than any single-game rate Kittle posted in 2023.
The primary culprit: Kittle leaving the game temporarily to get an IV, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. So there's no reason to worry about his role.
Kittle did benefit from the spike in passing volume. Purdy's 45 dropbacks vs. Minnesota marked a career high, and were 12 more than he had in the Week 1 victory over the Jets.
WR Brandon Aiyuk also figures to factor more into the target picture going forward. His playing time increased vs. the Vikings, with Aiyuk running a game-high 42 pass routes.
But we all knew what we were getting in Kittle when we drafted him. And there's no reason to doubt he'll remain a solid-to-strong weekly starter.
San Francisco's next three games include a pair of soft defenses in the Rams and Cardinals.
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