Tight end George Kittle spoke with NBC Sports sideline reporter Michele Tafoya after the San Francisco 49ers' victory on Sunday night over the visiting Green Bay Packers. The matchup was the first of a difficult stretch involving three consecutive games against division-leading opponents.
Now, the 49ers will head on the road to face the Baltimore Ravens and then the New Orleans Saints. Kittle was asked what he sees from the upcoming two-game road trip.
"Opportunity," Kittle responded. "It's an opportunity for us to show the football team that we have, and we're just looking forward to it. It's going to be a great challenge for us, and we can't wait to play these guys. We're looking forward to our next game, and I can't wait to play it."
#49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo and TE George Kittle speak with NBC's Michele Tafoya after Sunday's win over the Packers. pic.twitter.com/nr0dOl569d
— 49ers Webzone (@49erswebzone) November 25, 2019
Sunday was Kittle's first game back since suffering knee and ankle injuries on October 31 against the Arizona Cardinals. The tight end finished the game as the 49ers' leading receiver with six catches for 129 yards and a touchdown.
The 49ers weren't too forthcoming about the details of Kittle's injuries over the past few weeks, but Adam Schefter of ESPN reported on Sunday morning that the tight end actually sustained a broken bone in his ankle during that Week 9 matchup, which he continued playing in after the injury.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan offered some clarification on the "broken bone."
"It's a bone chip," the coach explained to curious reporters after the game. "It was stable then but he's got to play through some pain with it."
Shanahan went on to compare the injury to the bark coming off a tree. The ankle is stable, it's just causing Kittle some discomfort.
The coach went on to finally explain Kittle's knee injury in more detail.
"The stuff he had in his knee, since we're getting more detailed on it, it was popped capsule ... whatever that means," Shanahan said. "That took a couple more weeks to heal up, and once that was healed, then it's a pain tolerance with the ankle."
Kittle also spoke with the media after the game and was asked about the injury.
"It's football," he said. "It's fine. It's a mindset. You just go out and play football. That's all it is."
Kittle was asked if it was the knee or ankle injury causing more of an issue during his recovery.
"I think they both looked pretty good tonight," the tight end responded.
