The San Francisco 49ers may be getting a key piece of their offense back this week. Tight end George Kittle, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury, says he expects to return this Sunday for their Week 4 game against the New England Patriots, per ESPN.
Kittle, who did not play in their Week 3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, says he “feels awesome.”
He added that he is “very excited to play football.”
Kittle was limited during Wednesday and Thursday’s practice, but the tight end, as well as other players on the team, are optimistic that he will be good to go.
“George is a captain and one of the most important players on the team in terms of production, and just a morale boost from his positivity,” defenseman Nick Bosa. said on Wednesday. “And yeah, just having a guy who’s been around for a while, been through the ups and downs of the [Kyle] Shanahan regime. So, yes, we are excited [to have him back].”
In Kittle’s absence, Eric Saubert got the start, finishing with two receptions for 41 yards. Jake Tonges and Brayden Willis also saw snaps with Kittle sidelined.
The defending NFC champions took a hit on offense early in the year. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel is expected to miss Sunday’s game, after he was also unable to play last week against the Rams. Samuel did not practice Wednesday and was limited Thursday with a calf strain.
There is good news, however, for quarterback Brock Purdy, who has had some concerns about back pain. Purdy was a full participant in practice on Wednesday and Thursday after an MRI revealed no serious injury.
Star running back Christian McCaffrey remains on injured reserve and is seeing a specialist in Germany regarding his Achilles tendinitis.
With McCaffrey and Samuel out, having Kittle back will be massive for their offense.
In two games, Kittle has 11 receptions for 116 yards and one touchdown. Last season, he led the team in receiving yards among tight ends (1,020) and had the second-most total receiving yards on the team behind wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. He was also tied for the most receiving touchdowns on the team (7).
The 1-2 Patriots come from a loss to the New York Jets, while the only victory of the 1-2 49ers of the season came in Week 1 against the Jets. Their Week 4 matchup will begin at 4:05 pm ET at Levi’s Stadium.
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