Is the 49ers TE playing today against the Seahawks?

On November 18, 2024By Littum

The San Francisco 49ers enjoyed a week with an offense at full health, but they again look like they could be without a key contributor.

George Kittle’s the status for today remains uncertain. It will officially come around 2:30 PM ET when inactive reports are due. But in the meantime, speculation has run rampant about the tight end’s hamstring injury.

San Francisco enters Week 11 with a 5-4 record, behind the Cardinals in the NFC West. They are fighting to stay in the division race. That is an important factor in the decision on Kittle today. Typically, teams err on the side of caution with a hamstring problem, but with a divisional game on deck in Week 11, Kittle’s services are needed.

The 49ers is a team that has been battered all season, they already have the experience of playing without their top dogs. Here’s the latest on Kittle before Sunday’s kickoff at Levi’s Stadium against the Seahawks.

George Kittle Injury Update

ESPN’s Adam Schefter delivered the disappointing news for Kittle’s status in the early hours of Sunday morning. Schefter shared that Kittle is “unlikely to play.”

Of course, things can change quickly with injuries. The 49ers will see how their All-Pro tight end feels prior to the game, but at this point the team is not optimistic that Kittle will be able to take the field.

Despite being a weekly staple on the injury report, Kittle has only missed one game, Week 3 against the Rams. However, alarms started sounding in the lead-up to Week 11, when Kittle sat out Wednesday’s practice and then managed only limited sessions Thursday and Friday before getting the “questionable” tag.

The Niners have been no strangers to playing without their stars on offense this season. Christian McCaffrey missed the first nine weeks of the season before making his season debut last Sunday. Deebo Samuel missed one game earlier this season and left another early in the first quarter due to pneumonia. They lost too Brandon Aiyuk for the remainder of the season after suffering a torn ACL in Week 7.

49ers TE depth chart

San Francisco’s depth on offense has been tested all season. Here’s a look at how the tight end breaks down if Kittle were to sit today:

The veteran Saubert would take the TE1 spot, but it would require a community effort behind him. Kittle missed one game earlier this season and Saubert played 86% of the snaps and caught two passes for 41 yards. The reality, however, is that San Fran will probably look elsewhere if Kittle is sidelined. Shanahan’s offense will likely turn to back Kyle Juszczyk and the backroom to make up for the lack of production in the passing game.

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