George Kittle injury update: 49ers tight end ‘unlikely’ to play Week 1
By Matt Conner
The San Francisco 49ers are unlikely to have George Kittle for their season-opening game against the Chicago Bears.
The San Francisco 49ers might consider themselves fortunate that the NFL set their schedule so light on the front end with a visit to the Chicago Bears in Week 1. That’s because star tight end George Kittle has been described as “unlikely” to play in the season-opening contest while he deals with a groin injury.
Aaron Wilson of the Pro Football Network has a source who says Kittle’s injury is “not good”, although the official designation from the team and head coach Kyle Shanahan is that Kittle is “day to day.”
Kittle suffered the groin injury on Monday and sat out of the week’s opening practice to prepare for the Bears on Wednesday. Official injury designations are still forthcoming, but life without Kittle would certainly make things harder offensively for the Niners if Kittle is unable to play.
That said, the most important angle for the franchise here concerning Kittle’s injury is making sure he’s healthy for the long term. If it takes a week or more of rest and treatment in order to get things right, that’s a trade the 49ers will make every time. That’s even more appropriate considering that the 49ers are expected to roll over the Bears with or without Kittle on the field.
Kittle missed half of the 2020 season due to a fractured foot suffered at midseason that landed him on injured reserve. Last season, Kittle also missed a few games with a calf injury in the first half of the year. Even so, Kittle made his third Pro Bowl in ’21 with a final stat line of 71 catches on 94 targets for 910 yards and 6 touchdowns.
