During Sunday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy missed the presence of his All-Pro tight end. George Kittle's absence was felt, as the 49ers managed only 17 points, a significant drop from the 36 they scored against the Seahawks in Week 6. Sunday's point total tied a season-low from Week 2.
Ahead of Wednesday's practice, as the 49ers prepare for their Week 12 showdown against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, Kittle made one thing clear: he plans to play.
Kittle, who was sidelined with a hamstring injury, will be a limited practice participant on Wednesday. However, the star tight end is confident he'll be back on the field, helping his team as they aim to turn their season around and climb back into the playoff hunt.
"I will be playing on Sunday," Kittle declared confidently. "Very excited. Can't pass up playing the Packers. So, no, I will be out there, for sure. Get to practice today—it'll be very fun and exciting."
Kittle revealed that sitting out Sunday's game against the Seahawks was a prudent decision to avoid aggravating his injury and jeopardizing his availability for the remainder of the season.
"So it's just kind of something we wanted to make sure I had full confidence in, and I did not have full confidence in it," Kittle explained. "And so, it was a pretty easy decision for us."
The tight end noted that while he made progress with the injury last week, things took a turn over the weekend.
"It definitely got better throughout the week," Kittle shared. "And then Saturday was a tough day. I thought I felt pretty good on Friday. Saturday, it didn't feel great, and Sunday was just not in a good enough place to be like, 'All right, let's go out there and push it.' I don't think it would have been my best self anyway."
Kittle has amassed 560 receiving yards and accounted for seven touchdowns in his eight games played this season. A two-time first-team All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl selection, Kittle's return will be a significant boost for the 49ers as they face a crucial stretch of games.
