The San Francisco 49ers continue to be hit by the injury bug, and that bug carried over into their NFC Wild Card Round playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles. George Kittle went down in the first half against the Eagles with what’s being reported as a torn Achilles tendon.
FOX Sports cameras caught Kittle leaving the field on a cart. ESPN’s play-by-play showed Kittle was injured on a short Brock Purdy completion early in the second quarter, with Philadelphia in front 13-7 at that moment.
Moreover, with Kittle likely understanding the situation that he finds himself in, he opted for an interesting way to deal with his injury. On Jan. 11, The Athletic’s NFL insider Dianna Russini reported the latest regarding how Kittle could be handling his latest injury after overcoming an ankle problem.
“A San Francisco 49ers employee just walked into the locker room carrying what appeared to be a bottle of tequila,” Russini wrote on X. “Best guess? It’s for George Kittle.”
49ers Offense Suffer Major Blow With George Kittle Out
The timing makes it even bigger: this is win-or-go-home, and the 49ers entered already short-handed at key spots on offense, including wide receiver Ricky Pearsall being inactive.
Kittle isn’t just a target-share guy; he’s the answer key to so much of Kyle Shanahan’s offense. On obvious passing downs, he’s often Purdy’s quick, middle-of-the-field bailout option against pressure and tight man coverage.
In the red zone, he’s a matchup problem who can win on option routes, seams and play-action leak concepts. And if conditions get ugly, he’s one of the few players who can still tilt the game with blocking plus a handful of chunk plays.
Kittle played last week against the Seattle Seahawks and did not have an injury designation heading into the Eagles game. Then, on one cut, he was suddenly done for the day.
Now, it will be interesting to see if Purdy leans on backup Jake Tonges, who had an amazing game in Week 17 against the Chicago Bears, filling in for Kittle. Tonges had seven receptions and 60 receiving yards.
Should the Niners advance past Philadelphia, they have a reliable backup that can put up impressive numbers against a playoff team. Nonetheless, first he might need to make plays against the Eagles’ defense, or else it could be over the San Francisco.
49ers Get Some Good Injury News
If the 49ers can overcome this latest injury to advance past the Eagles, the Niners would get to see some light at the end of this dark tunnel filled with injuries. On Jan. 10, FOX NFL insider Jay Glazer shared that Warner returning if the Niners reach the NFC title game is a real possibility.
“Fred Warner has blown past all his rehab markers,” Glazer said on the FOX NFL pregame show before the Los Angeles Rams–Carolina Panthers playoff game. “I’m actually told if they get to the NFC Championship game, they’re holding out hope. They think there could be a chance that Fred Warner could actually go in that game.”
Insider Shares Fascinating Injury Update on 49ers’ George Kittle