49ers TE George Kittle’s ankle not expected to impact status for NFC title game

The 49ers expect to have tight end George Kittle available for Sunday’s NFC Championship game after the All-Pro missed practice Wednesday with a sore ankle.

“No, I’m not,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Thursday when asked if he expected Kittle’s ankle to impact his status for Sunday.

Kittle twisted his ankle late in last week’s Divisional Round victory over the Minnesota Vikings. San Francisco has typically been cautious with key players dealing with injuries throughout the season, particularly with practices early in the week. Kittle was expected to be a full participant in Thursday’s practice.

Kittle’s absence from Wednesday’s practice came as a surprise because Shanahan didn’t mention Kittle on his normal injury report given at the start of his new conference beforehand.

“The soreness (surprised me) a little bit,” Shanahan said. “That’s why I didn’t bring it up in here before practice. I know he had some wear and tear from the game. Was a little sore … before practice so we held him out.”

Kittle missed two games in November after he sustained a bone chip in his left ankle and knee injury on the first series of the Oct. 31 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. He stayed in the game and made six catches for 79 yards and a touchdown before taking himself out in the fourth quarter.

Kittle in his third NFL season recorded 1,053 yards and five touchdowns in 14 games. He became the first tight end in team history to have back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. He against the Vikings had a season-low 16 yards on three catches, and a drop, against the Vikings while San Francisco rushed a season high 47 times.

This story was originally published January 16, 2020 at 10:49 AM.