49ers' George Kittle 'Respects The Hell' Out Of The Baltimore Ravens
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle spoke about preparing for the Baltimore Ravens defense and the upcoming game on Christmas.
"One of the cool stats coach Shanahan showed us is that they're like the number one defense in the first quarter in the NFL because they kind of come out there and surprise you with how they're just going to hit you in the face, and I respect the hell out of them for that," Kittle said. "When you're an overly physical team, you know, football is physical but when that's your standard, not every single NFL team matches up that way so like I said, I'm really looking forward to this one. And it's Christmas - like, come on."
The Ravens defense is giving up 1.78 points on average to opponents in the first quarter of games this season, an impressive mark that is over half a point better than the next team. In seven out of their 14 games, they have held opponents scoreless in the first frame and only once have they given up a touchdown, in Week 8 against the Arizona Cardinals.
San Francisco is the third-best offense in the first quarter in the NFL, averaging 6.6 points to open up games. The two better teams are the Dallas Cowboys with a whopping 7.7 points and none other than Baltimore, who averages 6.9 points in the first quarter.
Not only are the Ravens shutting teams out to open games, they are also jumping on their opponents quickly and putting points on the board, which has been a recipe for success for them this season. At 11-3, they sit alone atop the AFC tied for the best record in football.
Baltimore will be traveling to San Francisco to take on the 49ers on Christmas at 8:15 p.m. from Levi's Stadium.
