Key Highlights
- Eagles in wild-card playoff gameWhat happened to George Kittle?Kittle suffered an Achilles injury after making his first and only catch of the day against the Eagles on Sunday.
- He was quickly carted back to the locker room and was seen trying to fire up his teammates as he was taken off the field. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe 49ers were quick to label Kittle's injury an Achilles issue, confirming fears that he was dealing with more than just an ankle injury.
- After the win, the 49ers confirmed Kittle tore his Achilles and will not return this season. George Kittle injury updateKittle was carted off after suffering what appeared to be a right ankle injury in the second quarter of Sunday's game.
- The 49ers announced soon after that Kittle was out for the remainder of the game with an Achilles injury. Replay showed the reverberation mechanism in Kittle's right leg that is extremely common with Achilles injuries, indicating he could be in for a long recovery period that stretches well beyond the playoffs. Kittle suffered the injury on his first catch of the day as the 49ers, who were already without WR Ricky Pearsall on the offensive side of the ball, tried to make up a small deficit. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMORE:Why Brandon Aiyuk isn't playing for 49ers this seasonDid George Kittle tear his Achilles?The 49ers confirmed Sunday night that Kittle did indeed tear his Achilles. The 49ers didn't initially label Kittle's injury a torn Achilles, but that was the expectation from the start based on video evidence and the team's decision to quickly rule him out with what they labeled an Achilles injury. With the injury confirmed, Kittle will face a long rehab process that could threaten his status for training camp and even Week 1 as he heads into his 10th NFL season.49ers TE depth chartRankTE1George Kittle2Jake Tonges3Luke FarrellKittle is backed up by Jake Tonges, a former undrafted free agent out of California.
- Tonges, now in his fourth NFL season, didn't have a single professional catch until Week 1, when he hauled in three receptions and scored his first touchdown. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTonges largely didn't play when Kittle was healthy this season, but he raced up 293 yards and five touchdowns on 34 actions with the former All-Pro missing six games.
