San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle was in obvious pain throughout the team's 28-25 win over the Arizona Cardinals, battling a nagging knee injury that caused him to leave the game in the fourth quarter. Kittle suffered the knee injury on the 49ers first offensive play when Cardinals defensive end Chandler Jones hit the knee on a running play. Kittle did go to the medical tent, but played through the pain after he returned on the 49ers next possession.
Immediately after the win, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed Kittle was playing through more then a knee injury. He still had six catches for 79 yards, including an impressive 30-yard touchdown to close the first quarter. At the beginning of his press conference, Shanahan opened up Kittle was playing through a knee and ankle injury, which is in addition to the groin injury that has limited him over the past few weeks.
"I know once something happens, you try to push through it as much as you can," Kittle said, via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. "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 did not play the majority of the fourth quarter, leaving Jimmy Garoppolo without his top pass-catching target in the critical moments of the game. Ross Dwelley stepped up for the 49ers with the biggest play of the night as the second-year tight end caught an 11-yard pass on a third and 8 that sealed the win and allowed the 49ers to run out the clock.
"I tried to give my team everything I could, and in the fourth quarter, I really couldn't go any more," Kittle said. "I'm happy to have a guy like Ross Dwelley in there stepping up."
The severity of Kittle's injury is unknown, but he has 11 days to rest up before the 49ers take on the Seattle Seahawks on "Monday Night Football." Kittle has played though pain throughout the season, which is good news for the 49ers.
