SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco star tight end George Kittle will miss the 49ers’ key game in playoff positioning on Sunday night against the Chicago Bears with an ankle injury.
Kittle missed the full week of practice after getting hurt Monday night in a win against Indianapolis and was unable to go in a game the 49ers (11-4) needed to win to have any chance at winning the division title.
San Francisco did get receiver Ricky Pearsall back after he missed last week’s game with a knee injury.
The Bears were without receiver Olamide Zaccheaus, who was added to the injury report earlier Sunday with an illness. Right tackle Darnell Wright didn’t travel with the team on Saturday because of an illness but joined the Bears on Sunday and was active. Receiver D.J. Moore was also active after being added to the injury report earlier Sunday.
Being without Kittle deals a big blow to a San Francisco offense that has been operating at a high level during a five-game winning streak. The Niners have gone back-to-back games without having to punt for the first time in franchise history.
Kittle is a key part of both the run and pass game for the 49ers. The Niners’ running game has improved since Kittle returned after missing five games early this season with a hamstring injury.
Kittle has 31 catches for 415 yards and four TDs during the current winning streak and is second on the team to running back Christian McCaffrey in catches (52) and yards (599) despite missing five games.
The 49ers have a 144.6 passer rating when targeting Kittle this season, according to Sportradar, which would be the highest for any player with at least 50 targets since Russell Wilson had a 158.3 rating targeting Tyler Lockett in 2018.
The other inactive players for the 49ers were cornerback Renardo Green (neck), receiver Jordan Watkins, defensive end Robert Beal, linebacker Curtis Robinson, defensive tackle Kevin Givens and running back Isaac Guerendo.
The other inactive players for the Bears were receiver Rome Odunze (foot), cornerback Nick McCloud (illness), LB Ruben Hyppolite II, cornerback Dallis Flowers and offensive lineman Luke Newman. Case Keenum was the emergency third quarterback.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Josh Dubow, The Associated Press
