San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle did not get the ball very much in his team's loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night. As a matter of fact, he logged just one catch on two targets.
To be fair, the weather conditions were a bit extreme in Buffalo, so neither side was ever going to have a prolific aerial attack in the affair.
Still, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw 18 passes in Week 13. You would figure that more than two of them would have gone in the direction of his best pass-catcher.
Kittle himself—who is normally very reserved—expressed some veiled frustration after the game, and now, NFL analyst Brian Baldinger is questioning Kyle Shanahan's usage of the five-time Pro Bowler.
During a recent appearance on 95.7 The Game, Baldinger wondered how in the world Kittle had such a limited role against the Bills.
"That's on Kyle. It's on Kyle," Baldinger said. "Enough of the system and your offense. Get the ball to your playmakers. I could draw up five plays to get George the ball, because we know what he's like after the catch."
Baldinger then compared Kittle to Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride, noting that they have very similar body types and are actually similar receivers. He mentioned that McBride had 12 catches this past weekend.
There really is no excuse to not get Kittle the football. He hadn't been targeted any less than four times once this season, and he's averaging 6.1 targets per game. So, why didn't Shanahan try more forcefully to get him the football as the 49ers were struggling to move the chains on Sunday?
It's yet another symptom of the strange virus of malaise that has infected San Francisco this season, causing the Niners to drop to 5-7 and into last place in the NFC West.
Yes, the 49ers have been absolutely ravaged by injuries, but even when they were healthier earlier in the year, things didn't seem quite right in the Bay.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Rams have won five of their last seven contests to improve to 6-6 and move past San Francisco in the standings.
The Rams will face the Niners for their second meeting this year on Dec. 12.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/rams/ as Rams' Bitter Rival 49ers Blasted for Usage of George Kittle.