The San Francisco 49ers will host the Chicago Bears on Sunday, aiming to further their pursuit of securing the #1 seed in the NFC. They've been hot lately, particularly on offense. It would send a message if they could brush aside the 11-4 Bears, as they have other teams in the past few weeks. However, that objective may become significantly more challenging with the status of George Kittle. The star tight end suffered an ankle injury in the win against Indianapolis and hasn't practiced all week. He's been called a game-time decision.
Make no mistake. San Francisco is a well-coached team. Kyle Shanahan might be the NFL's best offensive mind. However, even he has limits when the talent isn't available. Kittle has been central to their success for years, but particularly this season. He is second on the team in touchdowns (7) and yards (599) despite getting significantly fewer targets than two other teammates. If that weren't enough, he's the 6th-highest-rated run-blocking tight end in the NFL. Kittle is essential to the 49ers' ground game.
His loss would be an enormous factor.
George Kittle makes life easier for the 49ers.
He's missed five games this season. San Francisco was 3-2 in those games and never scored more than 26 points in any of them. Since returning, the 49ers are 7-2 and have topped 26 four times. Since 2020, the team is 5-11 when Kittle fails to play in a game. They have nobody on the roster even remotely capable of replicating what he can do. That is probably why the 49ers may urge him to play through the ankle injury, even if he hasn't recovered. Him at 60% capacity is better than the other tight ends on their roster.
If George Kittle can't go, the Bears' objective becomes obvious. They must devote every available resource to containing Christian McCaffrey. He's been the engine of San Francisco's attack all year. Kittle was a big enough threat to keep defenses honest. That disappears if the tight end is out. The numbers say you must hold San Francisco to around 21 points or fewer for a reasonable chance to beat them. That becomes far more possible for the Bears if they don't have to deal with the possible future Hall of Famer.
