49ers notebook: George Kittle feeling ‘fabulous,’ Dee Ford provides key boost

George Kittle returned to the practice field Thursday after missing Wednesday’s session with a sore ankle. He will be good to go Sunday in the NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers, barring a setback.

The 49ers All-Pro tight end was all smiles during his podium session with reporters after practice while declining to offer specifics about the condition of his ankle.

“I feel fabulous,” Kittle said. “Thanks for asking.”

Kittle had his ankle rolled up on by a Vikings defensive lineman during the second half of last week’s victory in the divisional round. The injury is not related to the bone chip in his ankle that sidelined him for two games in November along with a knee injury.

He was listed as a full participant during Thursday’s abbreviated, rain-soaked practice session at the team’s headquarters adjacent to Levi’s Stadium.

The soreness in the ankle came as a surprise to 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday, who didn’t include Kittle on his typical pre-practice injury report to open his news conference.

“That’s why I didn’t bring it up in here before practice.” Shanahan said. “But I knew he had some wear and tear from the game, was a little sorer than we thought before practice. So we held him out.”

Kittle’s last game against the Packers in late November marked his return from his leg injuries. He proved his value to the offense by finishing with six catches, on six targets, for 129 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown.

The offense struggled with Kittle sidelined during the two games prior. The 49ers had to come back from a 16-0 deficit to beat the struggling Arizona Cardinals a week after losing to the Seattle Seahawks in overtime on Monday night to give the team its first loss of the season.

Kittle had just three catches for a season-low 16 yards in last week’s game against Minnesota as the 49ers opted to run the ball 47 times to control the tempo of the game after taking a 14-10 lead into halftime.

Kittle’s relative lack of production was a product of the game flow and the way the defense played, not because Kittle wasn’t a big part of the game plan entering the game.

“He has an opportunity to (have big numbers) in every game,” Shanahan said. “He’s always a big part of our plan. But, you never know how the game’s going to go until the game starts. And a lot of things go and you take into account over that. But, you have no idea what coverages they’re going to play, how the game’s going, but we’ll see. He always has a chance to.”

Dee Ford’s speed unlocks 49ers pass rush

San Francisco’s defense had a notably different look during Saturday’s throttling of the Vikings with pass rusher Dee Ford back in the lineup. The team got to Kirk Cousins for six sacks, its second-most this season, with Ford adding one on third down just before halftime limiting Minnesota to a field goal after Jimmy Garoppolo tossed an interception.

Ford was back on the practice field Thursday as a limited participant while he continues to take care of the hamstring injury that cost him five of the final six regular season games. ‘

Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh explained exactly why Ford is such an important player in the league’s No. 1-ranked passing defense, even though Ford only played just 22 percent of the defensive snaps throughout the entire season.

“When you’ve got a speed guy like Dee Ford, it’s very hard for that left tackle or right tackle, whoever he’s lining up on, to be able to hang in there and not honor that speed off the edge because if you hesitate for a second with Dee Ford he’s gone off the edge and it’s over,” Saleh said.

“When that happens, it opens up that B-gap (inside), so when there’s space created for that offensive line, now you’re getting those guys on islands, and it just creates a lot of one-on-ones for those guys, and so when you’re looking at (DeForest Buckner) Buck and (Arik) Armstead, who are just massive human beings, who are more power rushers, the more space the better. So, with (Nick) Bosa and Ford, when they can create all that space for those guys, it just makes those guys even better on the inside.”

▪ Kittle and Ford’s statuses were the only changes to San Francisco’s injury report following Thursday’s practice. They both participated, meaning all 53 players on the active roster were available.

Linebacker Kwon Alexander was limited and wore a blue noncontact jersey, as he has since returning to practice before the divisional round. Running backs Tevin Coleman (elbow) and Raheem Mostert (calf) were listed as full participants.

▪ Meanwhile, for the following players for the Packers were limited on Thursday: receiver Geronimo Allison (illness), defensive tackle Kenny Clark (back), tight end Jimmy Graham (not injury related), receiver Allen Lazard (ankle), tight end Marcedes Lewis (not injury related), linebacker Preston Smith (ankle), running back Dan Vitale (knee) and cornerback Tramon Williams (not injury related).

Full participants: safety Adrian Amos (chest), tackle Bryan Bulaga (not injury related), receiver Ryan Grant (not injury related), linebacker Blake Martinez (hand) and guard Billy Turner (ankle).