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After missing Week 11 with a hamstring injury, George Kittle's status for Week 12 has been one of the closest storylines to monitor for fans of the San Francisco 49ers.
If he can play, the 49ers will have a major weapon back across the middle of the field against the Green Bay Packers, a certified difference-maker who can contribute in the run and passing game. But if he can't go? Well, the 49ers would be down to just two of their Big 4, with Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey both on the field while Brandon Aiyuk watches on from the sidelines on IR.
Fortunately, fans now have their answer, as Kittle told ESPN's Nick Wagoner.
Facing off against a Packers defense that ranks 13th against the pass and 14th against the run, having a differencemaker like Kittle back should make Brock Purdy's life a good bit easier and hopefully end the 49ers losing ways before they spiral out of control.
Kyle Shanahan credits George Kittle as the 49ers' tone-setter
Discussing Kittle's role with the 49ers not just on the field but also on the sidelines, Kyle Shanahan told reporters during his absence that he considers the Iowa product a standard bearer for the team, as his energy and intensity helps to set the tone for the rest of the team.
“Yes, it's hard to be a great football player if you're not like that. You never want someone to gut through something that's going to jeopardize him for the rest of the year,” Shanahan told reporters.
“But there's a lot of pain that people got to deal with, and George is unbelievable with it. You just watch some of the pain he can be in during the week and the way he can get to by Sunday where you don't think he'll be able to get there, and he does. He can handle a lot in that aspect. It's been extremely impressive when you have your better players act that way. It's one of the best ways of leadership you can show.”
Since Kittle came to the Bay Area back in 2017 as a fifth-round pick, the 49ers have won 58.5 percent of their games. While Kittle's transformation into a superstar tight end alone isn't the sole reason for that success, as Shanahan has had a pretty big role in that too, it just shows that winning does seem to follow the lucha-loving pass catcher, as his head coach noted.
