George Kittle injury update: 49ers tight end (knee) tried to play through pain

Chelsea Howard

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George Kittle injury update: 49ers tight end (knee) tried to play through pain image

49ers tight end George Kittle finished Thursday's victory over the Cardinals with six catches for 79 receiving yards and one touchdown ⁠— but it wasn't without some pain. 

Coach Kyle Shanahan revealed after the game that Kittle was not only dealing with knee pain, but also an ankle injury and a nagging groin issue.

Kittle was injured on the first play of the game when he appeared to bang his knee on Cardinals linebacker Chandler Jones in the backfield. He stayed down on the field in clear pain before walking to the team's medical tent for further evaluation and went to the bench instead of the locker room.

“I know once something happens, you try to push through it as much as you can, but there comes a point if I feel like I’m a liability to the team, and I’m not the best man for the job, I definitely have to [leave the game]," Kittle told reporters. "I talked to my coach about it and we made a decision about it."

He returned for the 49ers' second possession, but missed some of the fourth quarter when the game was on the line.

“In football, stuff happens,” Kittle said. “You either decide to go back out or you don’t. I tried to give my team everything I could, and in the fourth quarter, I really couldn’t go any more." 

Despite the pain, Kittle still managed to score an impressive tying touchdown on a 30-yard reception just before the end of the first quarter. 

San Francisco held on for a 28-25 win. The 49ers remain undefeated, improving to 8-0, while the Cardinals dropped to 3-5-1.

Chelsea Howard