Packers: Five players to watch in the NFC Championship Game
By Jesse Fry
3. Ibraheim Campbell
George Kittle is an absolute beast of a player. He is a top-flight receiver and blocker and may be the best tight end in the NFL right now. And last time these two teams played, Kittle had his way with the Packers secondary.
Blake Martinez couldn’t keep up with him, cornerbacks lost track of him and Kittle ran wild. That was only the second game back from an ACL injury for Ibraheim Campbell. Campbell didn’t quite have his feet back under him yet and it showed.
Since then, he has become the regular linebacker in the nickel defense and has played better as of late. He will need to have a big game this Sunday in more than one phase.
The 49ers are a run-first team and do everything off of play-action. So not only will Campbell need to be tight in coverage against Kittle, but he’ll also have to help plug holes in the run game and limit the yards the 49ers get on the ground.
Campbell won’t be alone as Chandon Sullivan may be the one in coverage more often. But Campbell is the better player against the run and if the Packers want to allow the Smiths to dominate, they will need to stop the run first.