San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle expects to play on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. He feels he could have played against the New York Jets on September 20, just a week after suffering an MCL sprain and bone bruise.
"I think a couple of things went into me not playing; just the conversation with Coach Shanahan, and we just agreed it wasn't the best decision," Kittle told reporters on Thursday. "I wasn't all the way back yet, and it's a long season. I think if it would have been later in the season, I would have definitely gone. But hey, now I'm here, and I get to play on Sunday Night Football against the Eagles. So, that's what I'm looking forward to."
ESPN made its bold predictions for Week 4's slate of NFL games, and Eagles reporter Tim McManus predicts the 49ers' All-Pro tight end finding the end zone multiple times on Sunday night.
"Niners tight end George Kittle will score two touchdowns. He has missed the past two games with a knee sprain but returns to a very favorable matchup. The Eagles have allowed four touchdowns to tight ends so far this season, including three by Tyler Higbee in a Week 2 loss to the Rams. Like Rams coach Sean McVay, Niners coach Kyle Shanahan will exploit the mismatches. If Kittle draws linebacker coverage, look out."
Should the prediction come true, it would actually be the first time Kittle has scored two touchdowns in one game over his NFL career. While the tight end has averaged over 1,000 yards receiving during each of the past two seasons, he has scored just five touchdowns during each.
ESPN offers this "Stat to know" about the upcoming matchup between the 49ers and Eagles:
"The Eagles have been outscored by 36 points in the second half this season, the second-worst in the NFL ahead of only the Falcons (minus-41). They have outscored opponents by eight points in the first half, though."
San Francisco is favored by a touchdown and ESPN's reporters for both the 49ers and Eagles picked the Niners to win on Sunday night. ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) predicts a 78.8 percent chance San Francisco gets to 3-1.