San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle wasn't on the field during the team's first matchup against the Seattle Seahawks — a Week 10 overtime loss. The two-time Pro Bowler will be out there on Sunday night during the rematch, a game that will determine the NFC West champion, and for the 49ers, could mean home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll jumped on a conference call with Bay Area reporters on Tuesday and discussed what it means to face a 49ers offense with Kittle for the first time this season.

"He's a great player," Carroll said. "Any time you don't have a great player, you miss him in some regards. You can't replace that guy. We all work to try to figure that out, but the fact that he's back, they've got their focal-point player in their program. That causes issues and concerns.

"We won't be able to play them the way we played them last time. We have to do things much differently because he's in the game."


Carroll was asked if he sees a much-different 49ers offense with Kittle on the field.

"Yeah, he's the top player on the team," the coach responded in a tone that indicated he was surprised the question was even asked. "He's everything. They can build the whole game around him, and count on him and all that.

"He has grown in the years we've been here and watched him. He's just become an extraordinary player and performer and all that. Hopefully, we can find a way to match up somehow."

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