George Kittle was carted off the field during the second quarter of the San Francisco 49ers’ NFC wild card playoff game win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Kittle was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game, and after the contest it was confirmed that he had torn his right Achilles after a catch.
While an Achilles tear can sometimes take up to a year to recover from, future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers returned to the practice field less than four months after sustaining the injury during the first week of the 2023 regular season. Given the time of Kittle’s injury, the likely expectation is that he will work towards being available for the 49ers’ first regular season game of the 2026 season.
The injury occurred after Kittle caught a six-yard pass with about six minutes to play before halftime. Cameras showed Kittle not putting any weight on his right leg after getting out of the cart and into the 49ers’ locker room.
He clapped as he was being carted off the field, perhaps in an effort to motivate his teammates. The Eagles had a 13-10 lead at the time of Kittle’s injury. Despite his absence, the 49ers posted a 23-19 upset win over the defending Super Bowl champions. San Francisco will now face the division rival Seattle Seahawks next weekend in the NFC divisional round.
Kittle had just one reception prior to leaving Sunday’s game. San Francisco’s offense was led in the first half by wideout Demarcus Robinson, who caught three passes for 66 yards that included a two-yard touchdown pass. Wideout Jauan Jennings came up with a 45-yard catch that set up a field goal.
Robinson finished the night with a game-high 111 yards receiving. The 49ers received a big second half from Pro Bowl running back Christian McCaffrey, who scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter that included the game-winning score with just under three minutes left.
While the 49ers found a win to beat the Eagles, Kittle’s absence will be a critical loss moving forward for a 49ers team that has been no stranger this season when it comes to significant injuries. San Francisco went into the playoffs without linebacker Fred Warner, pass rushers Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams, and wideouts Ricky Pearsall and Brandon Aiyuk. Now, they’ll have to press on without one of the best tight ends of this era.
Despite missing six games this season due to injuries, Kittle continued to play at a high level while being named to his seventh Pro Bowl. He caught 45 passes during his final seven regular-season games that included seven catches for 115 yards and a score during the 49ers’ Week 16 win over the Colts. He caught eight passes for 88 yards and a score the previous week in a win over the Titans.
As alluded to above, the 49ers have overcome injuries all season. They’ll have to do it again next week if they are going to upset the NFC’s top-seeded team.
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