49ers-Vikings: Pain-free Javon Kinlaw has a big night, is having fun again

San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw is having fun again.

That wasn't always the case during his first two NFL seasons when he was constantly dealing with knee issues. Kinlaw underwent ACL reconstruction last season after appearing in just four games. But he looked 100 percent healthy on Saturday night against the Minnesota Vikings, and was a force on defense.

Ten months after his surgery, Kinlaw looked disruptive and brought down Vikings quarterback Kellen Mond for a third-down sack in the first quarter of the 49ers' 17-7 win. Kinlaw also got in the backfield later in the game for a quarterback pressure.

Kinlaw's success against the Vikings was an encouraging sight considering what he's been through since his 2021 season came to an end. But he's been showing signs of progress throughout training camp and is noticeably happy after getting back on the field following a lengthy rehab.

"I've been able to do stuff like that but when you coming into a new league and learning all types of nuances of the game, it's a lot getting thrown at you," Kinlaw said Saturday, via Tracy Sandler of FanGirl Sports Network. "You kind of forget about just playing football, just having fun. I feel like I'm finally getting back to having fun, just being a kind again now that I'm not in any pain."

Kinlaw played against the Vikings Saturday night despite it being a game where the majority of each team's starters didn't suit up. With the 49ers scheduled for a quick turnaround this week due to having to play the Houston Texans on Thursday, Kinlaw and the 49ers decided the time was right to make sure he got some reps in before the end of the preseason.

"We were real happy for him," 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said following the game. "We kept, I think, all of our starters out but Javon we wanted to play tonight just because we know [we're] traveling tomorrow, traveling on Wednesday (to Houston). It's going to be short, so we thought it would be safer to get his playing time tonight than next week. He did an awesome job and took advantage of it."

Due to his extended playing time against the Vikings, Kinlaw isn't expected to play on Thursday against the Texans, which is a game where many of the 49ers' starters will be expected to suit up. The 49ers didn't seem to want to take a chance on the short week given the travel schedule, so Kinlaw's next action will likely come in the season opener against the Chicago Bears on September 11.

"I think it's good," Shanahan said. "I'd rather have had him wait until next week like most of the other starters but just with the weird travel schedule for us—we're getting back at like three in the morning tomorrow night. Then we've got to head out to Houston on Wednesday, play a game on Thursday, so can't really count on it being the smartest thing for him to play on Thursday, so we made sure to get it for him tonight."

With Kinlaw's preseason likely in the books, he and the 49ers can look forward to him being 100 percent in Week 1, barring something unforeseen. Kinlaw is in good shape and good spirits, and if his health cooperates, he'll have a great opportunity to showcase the skills that made him a first-round pick of the 49ers in 2020.

"He's just healthy," Shanahan said. "He hasn't been healthy since the Dallas game in 2020. We've seen that, being healthy, he was in great shape last year but his knee bothered him. So this year, he's even better, and he's feeling good, and we're trying to keep that up."

David Bonilla co-wrote this story.